Computing students shortlisted for OpenBright Award

We are pleased to share that two of our students, Isuri Gatamanna Arachchige (PhD Computing) and Zunaira Afzal (MSc Computing by Research), have been shortlisted for the OpenBright awards.

OpenBright, established in 2020, awards grants to women currently enrolled at partner universities who are pursuing research projects in computing, software engineering, data science, digital media, artificial intelligence, robotics, and related fields. These awards aim to empower women to explore innovative ideas, develop research expertise and help address the gender imbalance in computing education and careers.

As part of the final stage of the OpenBright awards process, Isuri and Zunaira have been invited to present and discuss their proposals in an online Q&A session with the Trustees on 16th April. A final decision will be made shortly after the interviews.

Supervised by Dr Maysson Ibrahim, Senior Lecturer in Computing, Isuri’s project, ‘Early Alzheimer’s Disease Identification via Multi-Omics Integration and Functional Biomarker Discovery’, aims to improve the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease using advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques applied to genetic data. It places particular emphasis on developing models that are not only accurate but also clinically meaningful, ensuring their potential to support real-world diagnostic practice.

Isuri says:

“I am honoured to be selected for the OpenBright Award; this opportunity will support the advancement of my PhD research and enhance its real-world impact.”

Supervised by Professor Harin Sellahewa, Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Law and Psychology, Zunaira’s project, ‘A Digital Twin Framework for Analysing the Aftermath of Cyber-Attacks on Industrial Control Systems’ presents a digital twin framework designed to analyse the aftermath of cyber-attacks on Industrial Control Systems. While existing research mainly focuses on attack detection and prevention, limited attention has been given to understanding post-attack behaviour and system-level impacts in these environments.

A virtual replica of an ICS will be developed to safely execute controlled cyber-attack scenarios and observe their effects on system performance, stability, and operational processes. The focus will be on examining how disruptions propagate and influence the system after an attack occurs. By addressing this gap, the framework will provide a structured approach to studying post-attack consequences, supporting improved risk awareness and more effective protection strategies for critical infrastructure.

Zunaira says:

“I am really pleased to be shortlisted for the OpenBright Award. This recognition means a lot, and I look forward to developing my project further and seeing its real impact.”

We are proud of Isuri and Zunaira for this outstanding achievement, and we wish them every success in the final stage of the process.