Chathika Gunaratne

Chathika Gunaratne is a PhD candidate in Modeling and Simulation at the University of Central Florida and a Graduate Research Assistant for the Complex Adaptive Systetms Lab. He has a MS in Modeling and Simulation (2015) from the University of Central Florida and a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Colombo School of Computing, Sri Lanka. Chathika has worked on several projects studying complex systems through a combination of agent-based modeling and evolutionary computation, including simulation of Aedes aegypti carrying capacity in rural environments, innovation ecosystems, and online social media interaction. He is currently developing a framework, evolutionary model discovery, combining agent-based modeling, distributed genetic programming, and global sensitivity analysis that enables modelers to automate the exploration of large spaces of combinations of factors of human decision making and quantify importance of these factors towards target collective phenomena. Chathika’s research has been supported by grants from DARPA, NSF, and Amazon Web Services. He has also worked in the simulation industry as a serious games developer implementing crowd simulations for Simcentric Technologies, and as a modeling and simulation specialist, using agent-based modeling to optimize crowd dynamics for the Universal Studios theme park.

Contact Info: Chathika.Gunarante@ucf.edu