Asara Senaratne

Dr. Asara Senaratne is a Lecturer in Computer Science at Flinders University’s College of Science and Engineering, working at the intersection of AI, data, and real-world impact. Her work focuses on making complex data more trustworthy, interpretable, and actionable, especially in high-stakes domains like healthcare.

Her research spans anomaly detection, data visualisation, and knowledge representation, with a strong emphasis on how AI and machine learning can improve data quality and support better decision-making. She is particularly interested in uncovering hidden patterns in complex, graph-based data and translating those insights into practical applications.

Asara’s current work explores next-generation digital health solutions, including the development of Biological Digital Twins for elite athletes. This research integrates wearable data, physiological modelling, and AI to create personalised, real-time representations of athletes, supporting performance optimisation, injury prevention, and recovery. Alongside this, she is actively investigating digital interventions in healthcare, focusing on how data-driven systems can enhance patient outcomes while remaining ethical, secure, and user-centred.

A key thread across her research is data privacy and responsible AI. She is passionate about designing systems that not only generate insight but also respect data governance, interoperability, and trust ensuring that innovation in AI aligns with societal and regulatory expectations.

Prior to joining Flinders University, Asara was a Research Fellow at the Industrial AI Research Centre at the University of South Australia, where she contributed to the FEnEx CRC initiative; developing open, interoperable analytics frameworks to accelerate Industry 4.0 transformation.

She completed her PhD in Computer Science at the Australian National University, where her research on anomaly detection in graph data received wide recognition, including People’s Choice awards at both the Visualise Your Thesis and Three Minute Thesis competitions in 2022. Asara also holds an MBA from Cardiff Metropolitan University and a First-Class Honours degree in Information Technology and Management from the University of Moratuwa, where she graduated as valedictorian and gold medallist. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a professional member of the British Computer Society.