Machine Learning Engineer with strong expertise in designing, deploying, and optimizing end-to-end ML systems, particularly within data-intensive and reliability-critical domains. Skilled in Python, feature engineering, and modern ML frameworks, I bring a deep analytical approach to understanding transaction patterns and improving model performance in production. Experienced with cloud platforms and real-time deployment pipelines, I excel at building scalable, secure, and well-documented solutions that integrate seamlessly with engineering and product workflows. With a strong foundation in algorithmic thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration, I am driven to create ML models that directly enhance payment success rates, customer experience, and overall system resilience. I have led research and industry projects across academia and fintech, delivering 10+ applied ML initiatives, securing funding, and mentoring teams. In my current role at The University of Melbourne, I design reinforcement learning systems, deploy scalable simulations with ML Ops, and build real-time dashboards to monitor fraud risk, reducing manual workload and deployment times. My work emphasizes rigorous data quality, cross-functional collaboration, and translating complex results into actionable product and risk strategies.

Helani Chathurika Wickramaarachchi

Machine Learning Engineer with strong expertise in designing, deploying, and optimizing end-to-end ML systems, particularly within data-intensive and reliability-critical domains. Skilled in Python, feature engineering, and modern ML frameworks, I bring a deep analytical approach to understanding transaction patterns and improving model performance in production. Experienced with cloud platforms and real-time deployment pipelines, I excel at building scalable, secure, and well-documented solutions that integrate seamlessly with engineering and product workflows. With a strong foundation in algorithmic thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration, I am driven to create ML models that directly enhance payment success rates, customer experience, and overall system resilience. I have led research and industry projects across academia and fintech, delivering 10+ applied ML initiatives, securing funding, and mentoring teams. In my current role at The University of Melbourne, I design reinforcement learning systems, deploy scalable simulations with ML Ops, and build real-time dashboards to monitor fraud risk, reducing manual workload and deployment times. My work emphasizes rigorous data quality, cross-functional collaboration, and translating complex results into actionable product and risk strategies.

Available to hire

Machine Learning Engineer with strong expertise in designing, deploying, and optimizing end-to-end ML systems, particularly within data-intensive and reliability-critical domains. Skilled in Python, feature engineering, and modern ML frameworks, I bring a deep analytical approach to understanding transaction patterns and improving model performance in production. Experienced with cloud platforms and real-time deployment pipelines, I excel at building scalable, secure, and well-documented solutions that integrate seamlessly with engineering and product workflows. With a strong foundation in algorithmic thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration, I am driven to create ML models that directly enhance payment success rates, customer experience, and overall system resilience.

I have led research and industry projects across academia and fintech, delivering 10+ applied ML initiatives, securing funding, and mentoring teams. In my current role at The University of Melbourne, I design reinforcement learning systems, deploy scalable simulations with ML Ops, and build real-time dashboards to monitor fraud risk, reducing manual workload and deployment times. My work emphasizes rigorous data quality, cross-functional collaboration, and translating complex results into actionable product and risk strategies.

See more

Experience Level

Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert

Work Experience

Data Science Researcher at The University of Melbourne
January 1, 2022 - November 21, 2025
Designed reinforcement learning models simulating 10,000+ agent interactions, improving decision-making accuracy under uncertainty by 25%. Applied these models to financial risk modelling and fraud detection. Deployed scalable simulations with MLOps (MLflow, CI/CD, monitoring), cloud deployment (HPC, SLURM, AWS), and experiment-tracking tools reducing model deployment time by 40%. Applied transformer-based models (Hugging Face, BERT, GPT APIs) to NLP tasks, enabling scalable generative AI solutions. Built interactive dashboards in Power BI/Plotly to track fraud risk in real time, reducing manual review workload by 40%. Collaborated with cross-disciplinary teams, ensuring data quality and translating results into actionable strategies.
Data Scientist at Wayamba University of Sri Lanka
December 1, 2021 - December 1, 2021
Delivered 10+ applied ML projects in Python, Java, and SQL, enabling 200+ participants to build predictive analytics solutions. Secured competitive funding and published 5+ applied ML studies in multi-agent systems and optimization. Supervised 30+ end-to-end ML projects, reducing delivery time of data-driven solutions by 20%. Built big data pipelines with Spark and Kafka, enabling scalable, real-time analytics on high-volume datasets.
Data Science & Analytics Consultant at National Institute of Business Management (NIBM), Sri Lanka
October 1, 2017 - October 1, 2017
Designed and delivered 10+ applied data science and software engineering modules, integrating real-world datasets, data modelling (MySQL, ER modelling, normalisation), statistical analysis, and ML concepts. Developed industry-simulated problem-solving assessments and mentored 30+ project teams, strengthening capabilities in data preprocessing, algorithm optimization, and model evaluation. Analysed performance data across multiple projects, uncovering trends and implementing strategies that improved model accuracy and efficiency by 15–20%. Built interactive dashboards (Python, SQL, Power BI) that streamlined reporting and decision-making.
Research Associate in Data Science & AI at University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
December 1, 2016 - December 1, 2016
Directed 20+ AI and data science projects, translating theory into real-world applications. Taught and applied ML, predictive modelling, algorithms, and data pipelines using Python, R, C++, and Java. Led hands-on coding, statistical analysis, and computational simulations, ensuring scalable and efficient implementations. Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams on 15+ applied research initiatives, integrating data-driven methods into practical problem-solving.
Software Engineer (Intern) at hSenid Mobile Solutions (Pvt) Ltd.
January 1, 2015 - January 1, 2015
Analyzed system performance and user behaviour data to uncover trends, optimise backend workflows, and drive data-informed product decisions. Designed, tested, and optimised software modules with measurable performance metrics, applying principles transferable to ML model validation and analytical pipeline optimisation. Built automated testing frameworks to ensure data integrity and system reliability, aligning with MLOps best practices. Translated complex technical findings into actionable insights for stakeholders. Applied cloud tools, APIs, and version control (Git) within Agile-Scrum teams to deliver scalable, iterative, data-driven solutions.

Education

MPhil in Data Science, First Class Hons at The University of Melbourne
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2025
BSc in Computer Science, First Class Hons at University of Peradeniya
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2015

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Software & Internet, Education, Financial Services, Professional Services