Dr Chapa Hewa Pelendage

BSc (University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka), PhD (University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka)

Postdoctoral Affiliate

College Roles

Postdoctoral Affiliate

Contact

Biography

Dr. Chapa Hewa Pelendage is a Marie-Curie Future Roads fellow based in the department of Civil Engineering and the Bio-inspired Robotics Laboratory-Department of Engineering. She completed her bachelors in Electrical Engineering degree at University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. She then completed her PhD in Electrical Engineering, specialised in Behavioral Robotics at the same university. Upon her graduation, she joined the department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Moratuwa and Sri Lanka Technological Campus as a lecturer in Mechatronics, Intelligent Systems and Mechatronics. Dr. Hewa Pelendage then joined the Bio-Inspired Robotics Lab (BIRL)-University of Cambridge as a postdoctoral researcher. At present she serves as a research fellow at the Future Roads program, she explores the possibility of robotics and automation to improve the road infrastructure in the future.

Research Interests

Dr. Hewa Pelendage researches robotics and automation applications in the field of construction and heavy machinery. In the middle of 2023, she was awarded the prestigious Marie Curie Future Roads fellowship, which extends until 2026. During this fellowship, she is focused on developing contextually aware software systems for heavy machinery, aiming to mitigate hazards and reduce accidents. In addition, she explores bio-inspired solutions for sensing technologies. Her overarching goal is to create knowledge in human-robot interaction by means of both newer technologies and possible applications in diverse fields. Her expertise spans multiple domains, including human-robot interaction, sensing technologies, intelligent systems, and assistive robotics