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Speaking

Talks that turn research into something people use.

I speak about multiplayer augmented reality, spatial computing, and — from my book — why teams reach for the wrong answer to conflict. Every talk is grounded in peer-reviewed research or years of classroom practice, and built for audiences who make things.

Invite me to speak → Speaker kit ↓
Dr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe on stage at NZGDC 2023, presenting 'Creating Sharable Spaces with Lidar' to a conference audience
On stage at NZGDC 2023 — “Creating Sharable Spaces with Lidar”.
Where I speak & present
01

Signature talks

Three talks I give most often. Each works as a keynote or conference talk, and most can run as a hands-on workshop.

01

Designing Shared Worlds Across Distance

What three studies and 128 players taught me about augmented reality that connects people in different places — told for people who build games, products and experiences.

  • Why showing a remote place at real-world scale creates the strongest sense of “being there”
  • Why a lightweight cue showing where a remote player is looking coordinated players as well as heavy avatars
  • How to make AR a core mechanic — real-time manipulation, clear feedback, calibrated time pressure — rather than decoration
KeynoteConference talkHalf-day workshopGame developers · XR teams · Researchers

Delivered at NZGDC 2026 in Auckland (October 2026) — the slides and the six rules are on the talk page. Next up as an online workshop at ICITR 2026 (University of Moratuwa) on 27 November 2026, 1:00–4:00 PM Sri Lanka time. Based on research at HIT Lab NZ.

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02

From Research to Reality: Where AR/VR Creates Real Value

Spatial computing without the hype: where AR and VR measurably help, where they don't, and how research turns into products and ventures.

  • A practical test for whether an idea needs AR or VR at all
  • What research on presence and motion sickness means for product decisions
  • Routes from lab to venture — from an MIT Global Startup Labs start-up to industry-partnered research
KeynotePanelGuest lectureFounders · Industry · Innovation teams · Students

Developed from my talk for IEEE Entrepreneurship, Sri Lanka Section (September 2026).

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03

The Collaboration Reflex: Why Win-Win Is Usually the Wrong Answer

Almost everyone reaches for collaboration when conflict shows up. Forty-five real workplace conflicts show when that works, when it backfires, and what experienced professionals do instead.

  • The pattern behind the conflicts that went wrong — drawn from forty-five real, anonymised cases
  • Four frameworks for reading which response a conflict actually needs
  • In the workshop version, teams analyse each other's anonymised conflicts and practise the better move
KeynoteHalf-day workshopTeams · Managers · Project leaders · HR & L&D

From my book The Collaboration Reflex, and taught in my postgraduate IT project management course.

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Also available as guest lectures: Immersive Technology in Education, UX Research Methods for Emerging Tech and Postgraduate Research Skills — or see the workshop catalogue for hands-on team sessions.

02

Watch me speak

A panel, a three-minute pitch and a long-form conversation — three very different formats.

NZGDC 2023 livestream frame showing a location-based AR game demo
AR Game Dev Rant — NZGDC 2023Panel on designing and shipping location-based AR
Dr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe pitching at Falling Walls Lab Aotearoa New Zealand 2024
Breaking the Wall of Loneliness Through PlayThree-minute pitch, Falling Walls Lab 2024
Dr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe in the PSR Vlog podcast studio
New Zealand Software Jobs — PSR VlogPodcast conversation in Sinhala and English

Formats & fees. Keynotes, talks and workshops are paid engagements; the fee depends on format, preparation and travel. I speak online worldwide, in person anywhere in New Zealand, and further afield by arrangement. I keep a small number of free sessions each year for student, community and non-profit events — just mention it when you get in touch.

03

Speaker kit

Everything an organiser usually asks for, ready to copy. Bios are written in the third person; edit freely for length.

Short bio 48 words
Dr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe is an augmented reality researcher, senior lecturer and software engineer 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.
MC introduction about 30 seconds
Our next speaker designs worlds that people can share from opposite sides of the planet. Dr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe is an augmented reality researcher at HIT Lab NZ, University of Canterbury, and a senior lecturer at Yoobee College. His research explores how AR can bring people together across distance — and along the way he has built learning platforms and founded an online school. Please welcome Dr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe.
Medium bio 111 words
Dr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe is an augmented reality researcher, educator and software engineer 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 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.
Long bio 254 words
Dr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe is an augmented reality researcher, university lecturer and software engineer based in Ōtautahi Christchurch, New Zealand. He is a Postdoctoral Researcher at HIT Lab NZ, University of Canterbury, where he earned his PhD in Human Interface Technology, and a Senior Lecturer at Yoobee College of Creative Innovation, where he teaches in the Master of Business Informatics. His research asks how augmented reality can make meaningful use of the real world to connect people who are physically apart. Across three user studies with 128 participants, he designed and evaluated multiplayer location-based AR games — work published at IEEE VR, OzCHI and ACM SUI, in Elsevier's Entertainment Computing, and with a paper at ACM VRST 2026. He has spoken at the New Zealand Game Developers Conference and was selected for Falling Walls Lab Aotearoa New Zealand in 2024. Yasas began his career in Sri Lanka. He studied IT at the University of Moratuwa, co-founded the AR/VR start-up NavitaZ VR Labs under the MIT Global Startup Labs programme, spent four years as a technical lead at 99X, and lectured at the University of Moratuwa, where he led the Software Engineering strand of an open learning platform that grew to more than 150,000 registered learners. He is the founder of ICT Campus, a bilingual online classroom for Sri Lankan A/L ICT students, and the author of The Collaboration Reflex, a book on why the instinct to collaborate is often the wrong response to workplace conflict.

Photos & one-sheet

Studio headshot of Dr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe in a navy corduroy shirt against a pink background
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Cut-out portrait of Dr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe on a transparent background
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Preview of the one-page speaker sheet for Dr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe
Speaker one-sheetPDF · A4, one page
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Dr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe at the NZGDC 2026 lectern beneath his title slide, Designing Shared Worlds Across Distance
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Dr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe in front of the NZGDC 2026 Shaping Our World backdrop
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Tech rider

ScreenProjector or display with HDMI (I bring a USB-C adapter)
AudioLapel or handheld microphone
Live AR demoOptional — needs Wi-Fi for audience phones. Try it yourself →
WorkshopsGroup seating; participants bring a laptop or phone
OnlineZoom, Teams or Meet — a quick tech check beforehand

Good to know

RecordingWelcome — I'd love a copy of the footage
SlidesShared with attendees after the session — see the NZGDC 2026 deck
Based inChristchurch, New Zealand (NZST/NZDT)
Name on printDr. Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe
SocialLinkedIn · @sri_yasas
For organisers

Common questions

Do you speak online?

Yes — over Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet, anywhere in the world. Recent online sessions include workshops for IEEE Women in Engineering Sri Lanka and Code Champ 2026, and a talk for IEEE Entrepreneurship, Sri Lanka Section.

Can a talk be tailored to our audience?

Always. Each talk is adapted to the audience and the time you have, and I'm happy to develop a custom topic in augmented and virtual reality, human-computer interaction, education or software engineering.

What does it cost?

Keynotes, talks and workshops are paid engagements; the fee depends on format, preparation and travel. I keep a small number of free sessions each year for student, community and non-profit events — mention it when you get in touch.

Can we see a talk you've given before we book?

Yes. The full slides from my NZGDC 2026 talk, Designing Shared Worlds Across Distance, are free to download, along with the six design rules and the papers behind it. Videos of a panel, a three-minute pitch and a podcast conversation are further up this page.

How far ahead should we book?

As early as you can — in-person events need more lead time than online ones. If your date is close, ask anyway and I'll tell you straight away whether I can do it.

Invitations

Planning an event? Let's make the session worth the room.

Invite me to speak → Past talks & media