01Home 02Work With Me 03Speaking 04Research 05Teaching 06Students 07Products 08News 09Writing 10About 11Platform New 12Contact 13Curriculum Vitae
Media & Press

Expert comment on AR, spatial computing and learning.

Journalists, producers and podcast hosts: I'm happy to explain research in plain English — on augmented and virtual reality, games that connect people, AI and technology in education, and technology careers in New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Tell me your deadline and I'll tell you quickly whether I can help.

Send a media request ↓ Bio & photos ↓
Topics

What I can comment on

Each topic is backed by my own research, teaching or products — not secondhand opinion. In English or Sinhala.

Credit asDr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe
TitleAR researcher, HIT Lab NZ, University of Canterbury
Based inChristchurch, New Zealand
FormatsPhone, video, studio, written Q&A
LanguagesEnglish · Sinhala

I comment in a personal capacity as a researcher and educator. For official statements, please contact the University of Canterbury or Yoobee College directly.

Augmented & virtual reality

What AR and VR are genuinely good for today and what's still hype; headsets versus phone AR; comfort, presence and motion sickness in VR.

“Most AR is decoration — here's what changes when it isn't.”

Games that connect people

Location-based and multiplayer games, loneliness and connection across distance, and what research says about playing together while apart.

“Can a game make you feel closer to someone on the other side of the world?”

AI in education

AI in assignments and academic integrity, AI-assisted coding for non-developers, and what students actually need to learn now.

“Where does help end and misconduct begin?”

EdTech & the classroom

Gamified and interactive learning, online and bilingual schooling, and keeping international cohorts engaged.

“Students don't skip a class that feels like play.”

Tech careers: New Zealand & Sri Lanka

Software jobs and internships in New Zealand, game development openings, and the route from Sri Lanka into postgraduate study in NZ.

“What it actually takes to break into software jobs here right now.”

Conflict at work

From my book The Collaboration Reflex: why reaching for collaboration is so often the wrong response to workplace conflict.

“Win-win is a strategy, not a reflex.”

Previously

Recent appearances

Podcast

New Zealand software jobs — PSR Vlog

A candid Sinhala/English conversation on the NZ IT industry: paid internships, game development openings and breaking into software jobs.

 Royal Society Te Apārangi

Falling Walls Lab Aotearoa NZ 2024

One of nineteen researchers selected to pitch in three minutes: “Breaking the Wall of Loneliness Through Play”.

 NZGDC 2023

The AR Game Dev Rant — panel

A fast-paced panel on what it really takes to design and ship location-based AR experiences.

 Tohoku University

NZ–Japan AR research visit

A lab announcement on the December 2025 research visit to the Interactive Content Design Lab, RIEC.

All news, talks & media →

Press kit

Bio & photos

Free to use with coverage of my work. Longer bios, an MC introduction and a one-page sheet are in the speaker kit.

Short bio 48 words
Dr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe is an augmented reality researcher, senior lecturer and software builder based in Christchurch, New Zealand. A Postdoctoral Researcher at HIT Lab NZ, University of Canterbury, he studies how multiplayer AR can connect people and places across distance, working with Sony Interactive Entertainment and Niantic.
Medium bio 111 words
Dr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe is an augmented reality researcher, educator and software builder based in Christchurch, New Zealand. He is a Postdoctoral Researcher at HIT Lab NZ, University of Canterbury, a Senior Lecturer at Yoobee College of Creative Innovation, and the founder of ICT Campus, an online classroom for Sri Lankan students. His PhD research on multiplayer location-based AR games, conducted with Sony Interactive Entertainment and Niantic, is published at IEEE VR, ACM and Elsevier venues. Before academia he was a technical lead in industry, co-founded an AR/VR start-up under the MIT Global Startup Labs programme, and led part of a university MOOC platform that grew to more than 150,000 learners.
Studio headshot of Dr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe
Studio headshotJPG · 993 × 1390
↓
Dr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe presenting on stage at NZGDC 2023
On stage, NZGDC 2023JPG · 2782 × 1568
↓
Three AR display modes from the research: Window, Overlay and Tabletop
Research imageAR display modes · WebP
↓
Media request

On a deadline?

Send the outlet, the angle and your deadline. If I'm not the right person for the story, I'll try to point you to someone who is.

Emailyasassriofficial@gmail.com
Time zoneNZST/NZDT (UTC+12/+13)