Seal element of the university of freiburg in the shape of a clover

Dr. Sahani Pathiraja

(c) Yeonju Jung

University of New South Wales
Mathematics/Data Science

Member of the Young Academy for Sustainability Research (YAS)
October 2021 – September 2024

E-Mail: s.pathiraja@unsw.edu.au

Last Update: 08.11.2024

Curriculum Vitae

I am a Lecturer (tenure track assistant professor) in Data Science in the School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney).  I have a double Bachelors degree in both mathematics and environmental engineering from UNSW for which I was awarded a University Medal.  I received a UNSW Research Excellence award and CSIRO Postgraduate Award for my PhD studies where my dissertation topic was “Improving data assimilation algorithms for enhanced environmental predictions.” My current research interests lie in the mathematical and statistical foundations of various data science methods.   

I have an interdisciplinary background with intimate knowledge of stochastic analysis, data science and Bayesian statistics through my postdoctoral research, and also of hydrologic applications and sustainability science through my PhD research and undergraduate studies, respectively.  One of my overarching goals is to develop stronger connections between the mathematical & statistical foundations of data science methods and their applications.  I am particularly interested in the two-way connections between mathematics and sustainability science, specifically: How can existing mathematical techniques be used to solve sustainability issues? And also, how can complex multi-faceted sustainability problems inspire new mathematical theory? This represents an exciting new field of research for me which is necessary to address the grand challenges facing our and future generations.

Selected Publications

YAS Project