Dr Malka N. Halgamuge is a Senior Lecturer in Cybersecurity (Teaching & Research) at the Cybersecurity Innovation Node, Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia, since Dec 2021. She also serves as the Department's Course Coordinator for Micro-credential Subjects (Cybersecurity Short Courses).

In addition, at La Trobe, she works as the Program Manager for the Australian Government's Cyber Security Skills Partnership Innovation Fund ($4.7m investment: $2.3m from AusIndustry and $2.4m from industry partners). She works with the La Trobe University Pro Vice-Chancellor Industry Engagement team, School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (SCEMS) and seven industry partners (Wiley, CISCO, GHD, OPTUS, Quantum Victoria, Practera and War on Wasted Talent) to develop cybersecurity micro-credential short-courses (43 subjects) and students' work-based learning placements (industry) to uplift Australia's cybersecurity capability.

She is directly responsible for the project's success and works with all three sub-streams (with different internal and external stakeholders) that contribute to the success of the main project:

  1. Progress towards 100,000 high school students developing cybersecurity awareness;
  2. Progress towards 210 students' work-based learning placements and undertaken and more women in cyber;
  3. Progress towards 43 cybersecurity micro-credentials short courses.
The project is scheduled to finish in early 2024.

RECENT NEWS

  1. M. N. Halgamuge, SCEMS Learning and Teaching Grants 2022, June 2022.

  2. Chair, IEEE VIC Computational Intelligence Society Chapter, IEEE VIC Section, June 2022 - Present.

  3. Panel Discussion, Moderator, "Cybersecurity Priorities and How to Convey Risk", Evolving Capabilities through Collaboration, Technology and Risk Awareness, 19 May 2022 .

  4. Member, Conference Technical Program Committee (TPC) - IEEE Global Communications Conference (IEEE GLOBECOMM'22), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 4-8 December 2022.

  5. International Women's Day Celebration Talk, “Learn about AI Research in 24 hours from 24 global womxn @ IoT Day", IoT Day, Business School of Artificial Intelligence, USA, 9 April 2022.

  6. ACS Panel Discussion, “ACS Panel: IoT & Cybersecurity Database Analysis", Australian Computer Society (ACS), at the ACS Melbourne Innovation Hub, Melbourne, Australia, 01 March 2022 .

  7. C. Chen, P. Wang, H. Chen, X. Wang, M. N. Halgamuge, C. Chen, T. Song, "Smart magnetotactic bacteria enable the inhibition of neuroblastoma under an alternating magnetic field", ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces - Collaborative work with Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, March 2022 .
    [SJR Q1 Ranked Journal, IF = 9.22]

  8. Associate Editor - Blockchain, Publisher: ELS Publishing, (February 2022 - Present).

  9. Track Chair - "Cyber-physical Systems" Track, IEEE 17th Conference on Industrial Electronics and Applications (ICIEA'22), Chengdu, China, 16-19 December 2022.

  10. Program Chair - Eight International Conference on Electrical Engineering, Control and Robotics (EECR'22), Nanjing, China, 13-15 January 2022.

  11. Publicity Chair - Sixth International Conference on Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development (CEESD'21) Singapore, 2-5 December 2021.

  12. P. L. Indrasiri, M. N. Halgamuge, and A. Mohammad, "Robust Ensemble Machine Learning Model for Filtering Phishing URLs: Expandable Random Gradient Stacked Voting Classifier (ERG-SVC)", IEEE Access, Volume 9, November 2021 Code.
    [SJR Q1 Ranked Journal, IF = 3.37]

  13. M. N. Halgamuge and D. Guruge, "Fair Rewarding Mechanism in Music Industry using Smart Contracts on Public-Permissionless Blockchain", Multimedia Tools and Applications, October 2021 .
    [SJR Q1 Ranked Journal, IF = 2.60]

  14. Invited Talk from the Australian Peak-body - AISA Public Webinar, “Distributed Ledger Technology for Security, Trust, Transparency and Traceability", Australian Information Security Association (AISA), 29 September 2021 .

  15. Invited Talk - “Leveraging Blockchain Technology to Shape Our Future”, Global Emerging Innovation Summit, as part of Victoria's Government Digital Innovation Festival, 31 August 2021.

  16. M. N. Halgamuge, "Optimization Framework for Best Approver Selection Method (BASM) and Best Tip Selection Method (BTSM) for IOTA Tangle Network: Blockchain-Enabled Next Generation Industrial IoT", Computer Networks, August 2021.
    [SJR Q1 Ranked Journal, IF = 4.74]

  17. M. N. Halgamuge, "Latency Estimation of Blockchain-Based Distributed Access Control for Cyber Infrastructure in the IoT Environment", IEEE 16th Conference on Industrial Electronics and Applications (ICIEA'21), Chengdu, China, 1-4 August 2021.

  18. M. N. Halgamuge and S. P. Mapatunage, "Fair Rewarding Mechanism for Sharding-based Blockchain Networks with Low-powered Devices in the Internet of Things", IEEE 16th Conference on Industrial Electronics and Applications (ICIEA'21), Chengdu, China, 1-4 August 2021.

  19. Invited Talk, "Blockchain Trilemma: Decentralization vs. Security vs. Scalability" RMIT CCSRI (Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation) at the RMIT University, Australia , 14th May 2021.

  20. International Women's Day Celebration Talk - "Blockchain Technology Ensuring Data Security in Data Science", Women in Data Science (WiDS) Riyadh @ Prince Sultan University, Saudi Arabia (in Collaboration with Stanford University), 8th March 2021.

  21. International Women's Day Celebration Talk - "Females are Strong: All They Need is Courage and Self-belief", IEEE Women in Engineering Affinity Group, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 8th March 2021.

  22. M. N. Halgamuge, A. Bojovschi, P. Fisher, T. Le, S. Adeloju, and S. Murphy, "Internet of Things and Autonomous Control for Vertical Cultivation Walls Towards Smart Food Growing: A Review", Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127094, March 2021.
    [SJR Q1 Ranked Journal, IF = 4.02]

  23. N. Mason, M. N. Halgamuge and K. Aiyar, "Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies: Legal and Ethical Considerations", Industry Use Cases on Blockchain Technology Applications in IoT and the Financial Sector, IGI Global, Chapter 7, PP 132-152, March 2021 .

  24. O. A. Ekanayake and M. N. Halgamuge, "Lightweight Blockchain Framework using Enhanced Master-Slave Blockchain Paradigm: Fair Rewarding Mechanism using Reward Accuracy Model", Information Processing and Management, Elsevier, Volume 58, No 3, March 2021.
    [SJR Q1 Ranked Journal, IF = 4.78]

  25. M. N. Halgamuge, H. Caliskan and A. Mohammad, "Computation Time Optimization on Hashtag Segmentation for Social Media Data", IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference (IEEE WCNC'21), Nanjing, China, 29 March - 1 April 2021.

  26. Publicity Co-Chair - Tenth International Conference on Informatics, Environment, Energy and Applications (IEEA'21), Xi’an, China, 12-14 March 2021.

  27. K. Aiyar, M. N. Halgamuge and A. Mohammad, "Probability Distribution Model to Analyze the Trade-off between Scalability and Security of Sharding-Based Blockchain Networks", IEEE Consumer Communications & Networking Conference (IEEE CCNC'21), Las Vegas, USA, 9-12 January 2021 .

EDUCATION

  1. Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering, PhD at ARC Special Research Center for Ultra-Broadband Information Networks [CUBIN], Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia (June 2003-Nov 2006), Awarded Aug 2007.
    PhD Thesis: Performance Evaluation and Enhancement of Mobile and Sensor Networks

  2. Masters of Engineering in Information Technology in School of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia (2000-2002), Awarded Dec 2002.
    Master Thesis: Energy Efficient Ad-hoc Wireless Sensor Networks

  3. Bachelor of the Science of Engineering in Department of Production Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (1993-1997).
    No: 1 Ranked University in Sri Lanka [THE Ranking, QS World Rankings]

  4. Graduate Certificate in University Teaching (GCUT), The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia, Dec 2010.

CAREER TO DATE

  • Senior Lecturer in Cybersecurity, Level C (Teaching and Research) - (Dec 2021 - Present)

    (i) Research Experience

    1. Research Fellow (Level B.6) / Research Scientist - (Sep 2007 - Present) [Full Time / Part Time / Honorary]
      Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Department of Infrastructure Engineering, Melbourne School of Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
        * Associated Research Centers:
      • Centre for Disaster Management and Public Safety (CDMPS)
      • Center For Neural Engineering (CfNE)
      • Research Network for a Secure Australia (RNSA)

    2. Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s International Fellow (June – July 2017 & June – July 2018)
      Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
      Research Experience: Optimizing magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) based thermal therapies: Influence of Alternating Magnetic Field
      Fellowship: Chinese Academy of Sciences Presidents International Fellow (2017).

    3. Incoming Leaders Fellow - (June - July 2016)
      Australia India Institute (AII), Delhi, India
      Research Experience: Analysis of Large Flood Events in Australia and India
      Fellowship: Incoming Leaders Fellowship (2016).

    4. Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China (Nov 2015).
      Laboratory Experiment: Investigated electromagnetic therapy to treat wound infection by applying alternating (AC) magnetic field (using the animal model - mouse)
      Fellowship: Next Step Initiative Fellowship (2015) and Australia-China Young Scientist Fellowship (2014).

    5. Dyason Fellow - (Nov - Dec 2013)
      Department of Epidemiology, UCLA School of Public Health, University of California (UCLA), Los Angeles, USA.
      Research Experience: Investigated extremely low-frequency magnetic Fields from diesel, gasoline and hybrid cars under controlled conditions
      Fellowship: Dyason Fellowship (2013).

    6. Electromagnetic Effects Research Laboratory, School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore (Nov - Dec 2011).
      Laboratory Experiment: Investigated sprouting rate of seeds in radio-frequency fields - GSM mobile phone and base station radiation (using seeds - soybean seedlings).

    7. Solander Fellow - (Sep - Oct 2008)
      Department of Radiation Physics & Department of Bio-Chemistry, Lund University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Sweden.
      Laboratory Experiment: Investigated biological effect of extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (using cell - plasma membrane)
      Fellowship: Solander Fellowship (2008).

    8. Solander Fellow - (Sep - Oct 2007)
      Department of Neurosurgery, Lund University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Sweden.
      Laboratory Experiment: Investigated blood-brain barrier permeability in rats exposed to radio-frequency and extremely low-frequency electromagnetic radiation - GSM mobile phone radiation (using the animal model - rats).
      Fellowship: Solander Fellowship (2007).

    (ii) Teaching Experience

    1. Adjunct Professor - (Nov 2017 - Present)

      Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), India.

        Subject - Undergraduate Course

      • ECE4008 - Computer Communication (Feb 2018)

    2. Lecturer (Part-Time) - (Aug 2011 - Nov 2011)

      School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.

        Subjects - Undergraduate Course

      • EE4188 - Wireless Communication (2011 - 2nd Sem) (Quality of Teaching, QOT = 4.61/5)
      • EE2008 - Data Structures and Algorithms (2011 - 2nd Sem)

    3. Subject Coordinator

      La Trobe University

        Subjects - Undergraduate Course

      • Strategic Communication Issues and Crisis Management (2022 – 100%)
      • Human Factors in Cybersecurity (2022 – 100%)
      • Human Factors in Cybersecurity-OL-OL (2022 – 100%)

        4. Subjects - Postgraduate Course

      • Secure Programming (2021 – 100%)

      Subject Coordinator/ Casual Lecturer (July 2008 - Dec 2009) (with Dr. L. Ayu) Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Australia.

        Subjects - Postgraduate Course

      • 421-619 - Energy for Sustainable Development (2008 - 2nd Sem, 1 hr per week)
      • 421-629 - Energy Efficiency Technology (2009 - 2nd Sem, 1 hr per week)

    4. Senior Lecturer/Lecturer (2007 - Present)

        5. Subjects - Undergraduate Course

      • Strategic Communication Issues and Crisis Management (2022 – 100%)
      • Cyber Algorithms That Changed the Future (2021 – 100%)
      • Human Factors in Cybersecurity (2021 – 100%)
      • Data Science (using R) (2018, 2019 – 100%)
      • Introduction to Information Technology / Computer Systems (2013, 2014 & 2016 - 100%)
      • Introduction to Data Communication (2008, 2010, 2012, 2013 & 2014 - 100%)
      • Server Administration & Maintenance (2008 & 2009 - 100%)
      • Wireless Networks (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 & 2013 - 100%)

        Subjects - Postgraduate Course

      • Secure Programming (2021, 2022 - 100%)
      • Dark Web (2021 – 100%)
      • Cybersecurity Incident Management (2021 – 100%)
      • Capstone Unit (Emerging Technologies and Innovation) (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 - 100%)
      • Business Intelligence using Big Data (2018, 2019, 2020 – 100%)
      • Project Management Concepts (2019, 2020 – 100%)
      • ICT Services Management (2020 – 100%)
      • Data Mining and Visualisation for Business Intelligence (2019 – 100%)
      • Internet of Things (IoT) (2018 & 2019 - 100%)
      • Information Systems for Business Professionals (2019 – 100%)
      • Advanced Network Security (Cryptography) (2018, 2019 – 100%)
      • Information Security Management (2018, 2019 – 100%)
      • Network Routing and Switching (2018 – 50%)
      • Wireless Networking Concepts (2016 & 2017 - 100%)
      • Computer Organisation and Architecture (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017 - 100%)
      • Computer Networks (2008, 2009, 2012, 2013 & 2014 - 100%)
      • Computer Management and Security (2012 & 2013 - 100%)
      • Internetworking with TCP/IP (2008 - 100%)

    • (iii) Industry Consultancy Experience:

    1. Electro Magnetic Radiation (EMR) Consultant (Jan 2014 - Present).
      EMR Australia Pty Limited, Sydney, Australia.
      * Radiation Hazards (RADHAZ) safety measurement and assessment

    2. Founder & Director of SenseRadiation Pty Ltd (July 2015 - July 2018)
      SenseRadiation Pty Ltd provides electromagnetic radiation risk assessment and prediction services for the community, industry and the government, including councils.

    3. Algorithm Trading Researcher/Consultant - Part-time - Developing algorithms to predict electricity demand (Sep 2013 - March 2014).
      GreenBox Services Pty Limited, Melbourne, Australia.

    (iv) University Administration (University of Melbourne):

    1. Member, Electromagnetic Radiation Safety Committee, The University of Melbourne, Australia (Sep 2013 - Present).

    2. Patron, Sri Lankan Graduates' Society (SLGS), The University of Melbourne (2014 - 2021)

    (v) Community Engagement (Volunteer Work):

    1. Volunteered Scientist in STEM Professionals in Schools Program (previously "Scientists in Schools" program), Australia (managed by CSIRO Education & Outreach) (2007 - Present).

    2. Participation Media coverage (TV, Radio Interviews, Newspaper articles) (2008 - Present)

    RESEARCH GRANTS AND FUNDING

    1. M. N. Halgamuge, SCEMS Learning and Teaching Grants 2022, June 2022.

    2. Project Grant - "Information Technology Infrastructure Protection Using Blockchain", McAfee Security Australia Pty Ltd, Funding period: 2020 - 2025.

    3. Research funding from Osmunda Medical Device Service Group, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, 2016-2018.

    4. Telstra Travel Grant for "Science & Wireless 2014" Workshop, Oct 2014.

    5. B. Moran, M. N. Halgamuge, K. Tolhurst, P. Farrell and M. Garvey (CFA), "Wireless Sensor Network for Bushfire Detection and Early Warning", Knowledge Partnerships Staff Project Grant, 2010.

    6. B. Moran, M. N. Halgamuge, K. Tolhurst, M. Garvey (CFA) and P. Farrell, "Data Assimilation and Bushfire Modelling for Early and Rapid Bushfire Detection using Broadband Technology", Interdisciplinary Seed Grant (IBES), 2010.

    7. M. N. Halgamuge and P. Mendis, Joint Research Grant, collaboration with Lund University, Sweden, "Interaction between extremely low-frequency magnetic fields and living system", 2008.

    8. M. N. Halgamuge, P. Mendis and L. Martin (ARPANSA), Knowledge Transfer Grant, "Environmental impact of low-frequency electromagnetic field exposure", 2008.

    PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

    PhD Thesis Examiner

      Bioelectromagnetics, Dec 2012.

    Journal / Conference Reviewer

      IEEE Tran. Vehicular Technology, IEEE Tran. on Circuits and Systems I, IEEE Tran. on Consumer Electronics, IEEE Communication Magazine, IEEE Internet of Things Journal, IEEE Comm. Lett., Bioelectromagnetics, Protoplasma, IEEE ICC, IEEE WCNC, IEEE PMIRC, WirelessCom.

    Memberships of Professional Societies

    1. IEEE Senior Member, Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), USA
    2. Senior Member, The International Society for Applied Computing (ISAC), Hong Kong
    3. Member, Bioelectromagnetic Society, USA
    4. Member, Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (IEICE), Japan
    5. Member, Networking Networking Women (N2 Women), IEEE Communication Society, USA
    6. Member, ARC Research Network in Communications (ACoRN), Australia
    7. Volunteered Scientist "Scientists in Schools" program, Australia
    8. Member, Electromagnetic Radiation Safety Committee, The University of Melbourne, Australia (Sep 2013 - Present)
    9. Committee Member, University of Melbourne IEEE Student Branch, Australia (2003 June - 2007 June)

    RESEARCH INTERESTS

    1. Blockchain and Smart Contracts for Data/Transaction Security and Interactive Environment
    2. Business Intelligence using Big Data, Big Data with Fourth Industrial Revolution Technologies (4IR/FIR)
    3. Internet of Things (IoT), Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), Power Optimization in Wireless Sensor Network
    4. Biological Effects of Radio-Frequency and Extremely Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields (Bioelectromagnetics)
    5. Magnetic Nanoparticle (MNP) based Thermal Therapies (Hyperthermia)

    TEACHING INTERESTS

    1. Research Project (Capstone Project)
    2. Data Science, Business Intelligence using Big Data
    3. Internet of Things (IoT)
    4. Information Security, Network Management
    5. Wireless Networks: Cellular & Data Communication
    6. Blockchain
    7. Cybersecurity

    PERSONAL INTERESTS (HOBBIES)


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    Created: March 2022
    Last Modified: June 2022
    HTML by: Malka N. Halgamuge
    Maintained by: Malka N. Halgamuge