Summary
Currently, as a Research Assistant, I am using my project management skills and expertise in Additive Manufacturing to accomplish several projects with multiple patents and publications. In the past, as an engineering manager, I combined people management skills with electro-mechanical engineering proficiency to achieve record productivity. Upon my Ph.D. graduation, I aim to combine my additive manufacturing and multidisciplinary engineering knowledge to help businesses develop innovative solutions.
Experience
Lighting Research Center - New York, USA Aug. 2018-Present
Graduate Research Assistant
Utilizing additive manufacturing to create optical, thermal, electrical, and communication sub-components.
Conducting simulations and experiments to examine the properties of 3-D printed components.
Developed (patent-pending) application-specific custom 3D printed optic for illumination application.
Performing tests to analyze short & long-term effects of different 3D printing methods and materials.
Investigating the novel concept of 3D printing antennas on the exterior of light fixtures.
South Asia Gateway Terminals - Port of Colombo, Sri Lanka Apr. 2016-Aug. 2018
Assistant Duty Engineering Manager
Coordinated maintenance of AC & DC motors, driver controllers, and automation systems.
Initiated and executed the new Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) system to improve productivity and abate cross-functional collaborations.
Improved MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) by 67% using a condition-based maintenance process.
Designed and troubleshot Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) and relay logic systems.
Coordinated the HVAC and electrical installation sections on the building refurbishment project.
Ceylon Electricity Board - Colombo, Sri Lanka Oct. 2014-Jan. 2015
Engineering Intern
Conducted maintenance on turbines, generators, and auxiliary systems at power plants.
Involved in a project to improve power system stability at thermal and hydropower plants.
Internally presented findings on renewable generation in an article titled ”Future of Solar in Asia”.
Education
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - New York, USA Aug. 2018-Nov. 2022
Ph.D. in Architectural Sciences (Reading) - Additive Manufacturing for Lighting
Master of Science in Lighting
University of Moratuwa - Colombo, Sri Lanka Oct. 2011-Apr. 2016
Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Electrical Engineering
Associate Degree in Entrepreneurship
Certifications
Generative Design for Additive Manufacturing by Autodesk
Google Project Management: Professional Certificate
Diploma in Management Accounting -Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
Specialization in Optical Engineering by University of Colorado Boulder
First Order Optical System Design
Optical Efficiency and Resolution
Design of High-Performance Optical Systems
Skills
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Stereolithography (SLA) Poly-jetting 3D printing electronics
Autodesk Fusion SolidWorks MATLAB LabVIEW LightTools COMSOL Prototyping
Circuit design C/C++ Python Simulation Testing Data analysis Robotics Research & Development
Critical thinking Leadership Project Management Teamwork Communication Problem-solving Time management
Projects
3D printed light fixture for industrial lighting application - Department of Energy (DOE)
Designed, simulated, and conducted tests on 3D printed metal heat sinks and optical systems to assess their performances. Published a patent-pending optical lens design.
3D-printed antennas for connected lighting systems
Developed 3D printed antennas and evaluated the effect of 3D printing properties on electrical traces. Results were presented at the 2021 IES annual conference and 2022 Solid-State Lighting Workshop, DOE.
Custom architectural lighting through 3D printing.
Involved in projects to 3D print (patent-pending) custom interior architecture with integrated lighting. Further, I designed and printed decorative wall tiles with LED backlighting.
Characterization of the optical properties of reflective and refractive systems - NYSTAR program.
Characterization of reflective and refractive optical components for LED lighting to understand how short-term and long-term optical properties are affected when using 3D printed optical components.
Introducing A novel freeform internal cavity lens design algorithm for illumination applications
In my dissertation study, I am designing a novel 3D printable multiple internal freeform lens design strategy based on the light energy mapping design method.
Lifetime Testing of Light Emitting Diodes and LED Products - International Energy Agency (IEA)
Contributed to developing IEA 4E Solid State Lighting Annex.2021, which included the survey on LED lifetime definition, failure mechanisms, and test methods for estimating LED system lifetime.
Photosensor Long-term Performance Study.
Assessed the short and long-term implications on lighting controls caused by photosensor performances. Findings presented as a technical presentation at the 2021 IES annual conference.
A 3D navigation technique for a mobile robot platform with a robot arm
Created path trajectories in 3D space using real-time image processing. Outcomes published on “Field-Based Navigation for 3D Obstacle Avoidance” MERCon IEEE, 2016.
Patent, Presentations, and Publications
International Patent Application No.: US2022/013798 ”3D Printable Lens Structure” Jan. 26, 2022
Udage, A. and Narendran, N ”Novel 3D-printable internal cavity lens with refractive spherical arrays for beam shaping”, SPIE Optics + Photonics. San Diego, CA (2022, Aug.)
Udage, A. and Narendran, N ”Achieving multiple beam patterns using 3-D printable lens by altering the positioning of LEDs”, SPIE Optics + Photonics. San Diego, CA (2022, Aug.)
Udage, A. and Narendran, N ”Optimizing 3-D printable refractive spherical arrays for application-specific custom lenses”, SPIE Optics + Photonics. San Diego, CA (2022, Aug.)
Udage, A. and Narendran, N ”The benefits of 3D printed antennas in connected lighting systems ”, 2022 Annual conference, Illumination Engineering Society. New Orleans, LA (2022, Aug.)
Udage, A. and Narendran, N (2022, Jan.). Evaluation of 3D printed antenna performance for lighting fixtures. [Poster presentation]. Solid-State Lighting Workshop, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Udage, A. and Narendran, N (2021, Aug.). Investigation of the use of 3D-printed antennas for connected lighting systems. [Poster presentation]. 2021 Annual conference, Illumination Engineering Society.
Perera, I.U. et al. ”Designing 3D-printed LED optics for optimizing target plane application efficacy”, SPIE Optics + Photonics. San Diego, CA (2022, Aug.)
Narendran, N et al. (2021, Aug.). et al. Photosensor Long-term Performance Study. [Technical presentation]. 2021 Annual conference, Illumination Engineering Society.
Gunawardena, S.D. et al. ”Investigating current and temperature dependencies of UV-A light-emitting diodes”, 2022 Annual conference, Illumination Engineering Society. New Orleans, LA (2022, Aug.)
Bullough et al. Impacts of Mobile Screens on Pedestrian Visual Performance at Night: Pilot Study Results, 99th Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, January 12-16, 2020.
Wickramaratna, S. D., et al. ”Field based navigation for 3D obstacle avoidance.” 2016 Moratuwa Engineering Research Conference (MERCon). IEEE, 2016.
Awards
Guy E. Bourdeau Scholarship Award - Additive Manufacturing Users Group 2022
Honorable mention - Solid-State Lighting Workshop - U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 2022
New York Student Achievement Award - Nuckolls Fund for Lighting Education 2021
ARCC King Medal - Architectural research centers consortium 2020
IALD Education Trust Scholarship - International Association of Lighting Designers 2020
Young Professionals Scholarship - Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) 2019 & 2022
Emerging Professional Street and Area Lighting Conference Sponsorship - Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) 2019
Award for Excellence in the Study of Architecture and General Achievement - RPI 2019
Leadership and Volunteering
Dean’s Student Advisory Council Representative at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 2022
Graduate Student Council Representative at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 2021
President of The Power and Energy Chapter at IEEE 2015
Vice President Talent Management of AIESEC Colombo South 2014