Dr Thilina Halloluwa
Lecturer
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Researcher biography
Dr. Thilina Halloluwa is a Teaching-Focused Lecturer in Human-Centred Computing at the University of Queensland. A SEDA-accredited educator with academic and industry experience, his expertise is in Human-Centred Software Engineering, a field where he combines his passion for technology, learning, and well-being.
His work focuses on how software systems shape human behaviour, decision-making, agency, and wellbeing, particularly as AI becomes more deeply embedded in everyday tools and professional practice. As an educator, he is committed to designing engaging, authentic learning experiences that help students connect software engineering theory with real-world practice. His broader academic interests include responsible technology design, AI-assisted programming, human-centred computing, and the development of software systems that are not only technically effective, but genuinely fit for human purpose.
Thilina holds a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction from the Queensland University of Technology and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology. Prior to joining UQ, he lectured at the University of Sydney and served as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Colombo, where he led large-scale teaching and digital transformation initiatives.
Book Chapter
Hettiarachchi, Dilsha, Fernando, Vishmanthi, Kegalle, Hiruni and Halloluwa, Thilina (2022). UrbanAgro: utilizing advanced deep learning to support Sri Lankan urban farmers to detect and control common diseases in tomato plants. Application of Machine Learning in Agriculture. (pp. 263-282) edited by Mohammad Ayoub Khan, Rijwan Khan and Mohammad Aslam Ansari. London, United Kingdom: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-323-90550-3.00010-2
Journal Articles
De Silva, Chameera, Halloluwa, Thilina, Das, Abhijit, Singh, Abhijeet and Azim, Mohammad (2026). Skeptical Chatbot: A Theory-Based Design for Judgment and Decision-Making in Auditing. Interactions, 33 (3), 48-52. doi: 10.1145/3793428
Fonseka, Ishani, Hewagamage, K.P., Rathnayake, Upul, Bandara, R.M.U. S and Halloluwa, Thilina (2025). Predicting SPAD values in Sri Lankan paddy rice fields using UAV-based vegetation indices. Transactions on Informatics and Data Science, 2 (2), 55-66. doi: 10.24090/tids.v2i2.14980
Halloluwa, Thilina and De Silva, Chameera (2025). Augmenting human potential: the role of LLMs in shaping the future of HCI. Interactions, 32 (2), 42-45. doi: 10.1145/3712068
Fonseka, C. L. I. S., Halloluwa, Thilina, Hewagamage, K. P., Rathnayake, Upul and Bandara, R. M. U. S. (2024). A dataset of unmanned aerial vehicle multispectral images acquired over a field to identify nitrogen requirements. Data in Brief, 54 110479, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2024.110479
Felsinger, Dilky, Halloluwa, Thilina and Fonseka, Ishani (2023). Video based action detection for online exam proctoring in resource-constrained settings. Education and Information Technologies, 29 (10), 12077-12091. doi: 10.1007/s10639-023-12385-1
Rathnayake, Upul Anuradha, Halloluwa, Thilina, Bandara, Pradeepa, Narasinghe, Medhani and Vyas, Dhaval (2021). Exploring entrepreneurial activities in marginalized widows: a case from rural Sri Lanka. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 5 (CSCW1) 142, 1-24. doi: 10.1145/3449216
Samarakoon, Uthpala, Usoof, Hakim and Halloluwa, Thilina (2019). What they can and cannot: a meta-analysis of research on touch and multi-touch gestures by two to seven-year-olds. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 22 100151, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcci.2019.100151
Vyas, Dhaval, Halloluwa, Thilina, Heinzler, Nikolaj and Zhang, Jinglan (2019). More than step count: designing a workplace-based activity tracking system. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 24 (5), 627-641. doi: 10.1007/s00779-019-01305-1
Halloluwa, Thilina, Usoof, Hakim and Vyas, Dhaval (2018). Sociocultural practices that make microfinance work: a case study from Sri Lanka. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 2 (CSCW) 65, 1-22. doi: 10.1145/3274334
Halloluwa, Thilina, Vyas, Dhaval, Usoof, Hakim and Hewagamage, K. P. (2018). Gamification for development: a case of collaborative learning in Sri Lankan primary schools. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 22 (2), 391-407. doi: 10.1007/s00779-017-1073-6
Halloluwa, H. K. T. C., Usoof, Hakim and Hewagamage, K. P. (2014). Stimulating learners' motivation in primary education in Sri Lanka - a literature review. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 9 (1), 47-52. doi: 10.3991/ijet.v9i1.2964
Conference Papers
Fonseka, Ishani, Hewagamage, K.P, Rathnayake, Upul, Bandara, Rmus and Halloluwa, Thilina (2025). Nitrogen Management in Sri Lankan Rice Cultivation Using UAV-Based Multispectral Imagery and Machine Learning. New York, NY, USA: ACM. doi: 10.1145/3789692.3789858
Pallewatta, Pandula, Arachchi, Samantha Mathara, Karunanayaka, Kasun, Kayuni, Trapp, Aleksandr, Tinmei, Bhattarai, Aditi, Halloluwa, Thilina, Nicodemas, Kelvin A and Kyei, Williams (2025). BotonyBuddy: AI-Enabled Precision Plant Nursery Management for Multicrop Disease Classification and Phenology-Aware Age Estimation. IEEE. doi: 10.1109/agreta68375.2025.11474109
Pallewatta, Pandula, Arachchi, Samantha Mathara, Karunanayaka, Kasun, Kayuni, Trapp, Aleksandr, Tinmei and Halloluwa, Thilina (2025). Advances in Bird Bioacoustics Using Deep Learning: A Comprehensive Review of Vocal Mechanisms, Acoustic Communication, and Conservation Application. IEEE. doi: 10.1109/slaai-icai68534.2025.11318525
Pallewatta, Pandula, Arachchi, Samantha Mathara, Rizvan, Sanam, Karunanayaka, Kasun, Kayuni, Trapp, Halloluwa, Thilina, Aleksandr, Tinmei, Benbrahim, Khalil and Maloba, Abraham (2025). Spiking Neural Networks and fMRI-Constrained Spiking Neural Networks for Speech Recognition and Biological Signal Processing: A Comprehensive Review. IEEE. doi: 10.1109/ibitec66306.2025.11472847
Bandara, Pradeepa, Halloluwa, Thilina and Vyas, Dhaval (2025). Understanding use of large language models in healthcare: an hci scoping review. OzCHI 2024: 36th Australian Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, Brisbane, 30 November - 2 December 2024. New York, NY, United States: Association for Computing Machinery. doi: 10.1145/3726986.3727023
Weerakoon, Tharika and Halloluwa, Thilina (2025). Multitasking neural network for cricket team selection with complex dynamics. 5th International Conference on Advanced Research in Computing (ICARC), Belihuloya, Sri Lanka, 19-20 February 2025. Piscataway, NJ, United States: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/icarc64760.2025.10962897
Weerakoon, Tharika and Halloluwa, Thilina (2025). Cricket team selection based on complex dynamics using machine learning. ICEEE 2024, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 11-12 September 2024. Singapore, Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-97-9112-5_21
Pathiranagama, Melaka, Nanayakkara, Isuru, Abeyweera, Roshan and Halloluwa, Thilina (2025). Beyond the black box: an interpretable machine learning approach to student dropout prediction. 2025 7th International Conference on Advancements in Computing (ICAC), Colombo, Sri Lanka, 9-10 December 2025. Piscataway, NJ, United States: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/ICAC69156.2025.11361534
Ariyaratne, Chandika, Arachchi, Samantha Mathara, Pallewatta, Pandula, Karunanayaka, Kasun, Seneviratne, Gihan and Halloluwa, Thilina (2024). An automated model for predicting weekly tea auction prices at Colombo tea auction for specific elevations and grades. 2024 6th International Conference on Advancements in Computing (ICAC), Colombo, Sri Lanka, 12-13 December 2024. Piscataway, NJ, United States: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/icac64487.2024.10851051
Gamage, Isuru Walpita, Rathnayake, R.M.U.A. and Halloluwa, Thilina (2024). Estimating story points in scrum: balancing accuracy and interpretability with explainable AI. 2024 6th International Conference on Advancements in Computing (ICAC), Colombo, Sri Lanka, 12-13 December 2024. Piscataway, NJ, United States: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/icac64487.2024.10850952
Jayaweera, Sasadara, Sewwandi, Piyumika, Tharaka, Dimuthi, Pallewatta, Pandula, Halloluwa, Thilina, Wickramasinghe, Manjusri, Karunanayaka, Kasun and Arachchi, Samantha Mathara (2024). MangoDB - A TJC Mango dataset for deep-learning-based on classification and detection in precision agriculture. 2024 4th International Conference on Advanced Research in Computing (ICARC), Belihuloya, Sri Lanka, 21-24 February 2024. New York, NY USA: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/icarc61713.2024.10499698
Pallewatta, Pandula, Karunanayaka, Kasun, Arachchi, Samantha Mathara, Halloluwa, Thilina and Seneviratne, Gihan (2024). Quality grading methods for greenhouse grown crops using computer vision and machine learning - a review. IECON 2024 - 50th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, Chicago, IL, United States, 3-6 November 2024. Piscataway, NJ, United States: IEEE Computer Society. doi: 10.1109/IECON55916.2024.10905669
Pallewatta, Pandula, Halloluwa, Thilina, Karunanayaka, Kasun, Seneviratne, Gihan and Arachchi, Samantha Mathara (2024). BellCrop - A bell pepper leaf dataset for disease classification and yield enhancement using machine learning. IECON 2024 - 50th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, Chicago, IL, United States, 3-6 November 2024. Piscataway, NJ, United States: IEEE Computer Society. doi: 10.1109/IECON55916.2024.10905325
Illesinghe, Rusiri, Arachchi, Shayan Wickrama, Kavikarage, Heshan, Karunarathna, Anupama, Karunanayaka, Kasun, Halloluwa, Thilina and Rathnayake, Upul (2023). Effective identification of nitrogen fertilizer demand for paddy cultivation using UAVs. IECON 2023- 49th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, Singapore, Singapore, 16-19 October 2023. New York, NY USA: IEEE Computer Society. doi: 10.1109/iecon51785.2023.10312483
Wickramasinghe, Buddhi, Karunanayaka, Kasun, Halloluwa, Thilina and Cheok, Adrian David (2023). Virtual reality based approaches for post ischemic stroke rehabilitation: current practices and future perspectives. 2023 3rd International Conference on Advanced Research in Computing (ICARC), Belihuloya, Sri Lanka, 23-24 February 2023. New York, NY USA: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/icarc57651.2023.10145731
Karunanayaka, Kasun, Nijholt, Anton, Halloluwa, Thilina, Ranasinghe, Nimesha, Wickramasinghe, Manjusri and Vyas, Dhaval (2021). Multisensory augmented reality. Multisensory Augmented Reality, Virtual, 30 Aug 2021. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-85607-6_77
Delgolla, Madhushika, Halloluwa, Thilina and Rathnayake, Anuradha (2021). A rule based approach to minimize false-positive declines in Electronic Card Not Present financial transactions using feature engineering techniques. 2021 21st International Conference on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions (ICter), Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2-3 December 2021. New York, NY USA: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/icter53630.2021.9774815
Halloluwa, Thilina and Vyas, Dhaval (2019). Dhana Labha: A financial management application to underbanked communities in Rural Sri Lanka. INTERACT 2019: Human-Computer Interaction, Paphos, Cyprus, 2–6 September 2019. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-29384-0_45
Halloluwa, Thilina, Bandara, Pradeepa, Usoof, Hakim and Vyas, Dhaval (2018). Value for money: co-designing with underbanked women from rural Sri Lanka. 30th Australian Conference on Computer-Human Interaction, OzCHI 2018, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 4-7 December 2018. New York, United States: Association for Computing Machinery. doi: 10.1145/3292147.3292157
Halloluwa, Thilina, Vyas, Dhaval, Usoof, Hakim, Bandara, Pradeepa, Brereton, Margot and Hewagamage, Priyantha (2017). Designing for financial literacy: co-design with children in rural Sri Lanka. 16th IFIP TC 13 International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (INTERACT), Mumbai, India, 25-29 September 2017. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-67744-6_21
Halloluwa, Thilina, Vyas, Dhaval, Sahama, Tony, Hewagamage, K. P. and Usoof, Hakim (2016). Interaction design for tablet based edutainment systems for mathematical education of primary students. 15th International Conference on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions, ICTer 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 24- 25 August 2015. Piscataway, NJ United States: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/ICTER.2015.7377706
Halloluwa, Thilina, Vyas, Dhaval, Usoof, Hakim, Hewagamage, K. P. and Sahama, Tony (2016). Gamifying mathematics for primary students in rural Sri Lanka. 9th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, NordiCHI 2016, Gothenburg, Sweden, 23-27 October 2016. New York, United States: Association for Computing Machinery. doi: 10.1145/2971485.2971522
Halloluwa, Thilina, Vyas, Dhaval, Sahama, Tony, Hewagamage, K. P. and Usoof, Hakim (2015). Interaction design for tablet based edutainment systems for mathematical education of primary students. Fifteenth International Conference on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions (ICTer), Colombo, Sri Lanka, 24-25 August 2015. New York, NY USA: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/ICTER.2015.7377706
Thesis
Halloluwa, Halloluwa Kankanamalage Thilina C. (2019). Human money interaction: designing for personal finances in the developing countries. PhD Thesis, Science and Engineering Faculty, Queensland University of Technology. doi: 10.5204/thesis.eprints.129131