Amila Hewagama
Bristol,United Kingdom
Summary
A highly skilled professional with expertise in robotics and automation, AI and computer vision, and NLP & conversational AI. Proficient in ROS/ROS2, MoveIt2, and mobile robotics, with a strong foundation in object detection and neural networks. Experienced in developing advanced robotic systems integrating RGB-D vision and human-robot interaction. Adept at using Python, OpenCV, and Ubuntu Linux for software development. Committed to advancing the field of robotics through innovative solutions and cutting-edge technology.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
6041
6041
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Pharmacy Assistant
NHS
Bristol
2025.05 - Current
Supporting NHS pharmacy operations, dispensing workflows, medicine distribution, stock management, and automated pharmacy systems while maintaining quality, safety, and operational standards.
Sortation Operative
Amazon Warehouse
Warrington, United Kingdom
2024.11 - 2025.01
- Worked within high-volume warehouse automation and logistics environments with exposure to industrial sorting workflows.
Production Manager
State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation (SPMC), Sri Lanka
, Sri Lanka
2012.03 - 2023.09
Led pharmaceutical manufacturing operations, increasing production output from 2.8 billion to 3.3 billion units and reducing rework from 1.2% to 0.5% through lean manufacturing, process optimization, automation initiatives, and cross-functional leadership.
Pharmaceutical Technologist
State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation (SPMC), Sri Lanka
2006.03 - 2012.03
- Participated in industrial process improvements, production-line optimization, and manufacturing system enhancements.
Education
MSc - Robotics and Automation
University of Salford
UK 2023.09 - 2024.09
PG Diploma - Manufacturing Engineering Systems
University of Moratuwa
2023-05
MSc - Industrial Automation
University of Moratuwa
2011-03
BSc - Chemical & Process Engineering
University of Moratuwa
2004-03
Skills
- Robotics & Automation: ROS / ROS2, MoveIt2, RViz, Robot Manipulators, Inverse Kinematics, Mobile Robotics, SLAM, Robot Navigation, RGB-D Vision, Pick-and-Place Systems, Human-Robot Interaction, Color Tracking
- AI & Computer Vision: Object Detection, Contour Analysis, OCR-Oriented Vision Research, Neural Networks, Random Forest, Genetic Algorithms, PSO, Fuzzy Logic Systems
- NLP & Conversational AI: Sentence Transformers, MiniLM, RoBERTa, DistilBERT, STT, TTS, Semantic Similarity Analysis
- Programming & Software: Python, OpenCV, Basic C, Ubuntu Linux, GitHub, Unity, AutoCAD
REFERENCES
- Theodoros, Theodoridis, Dr., T.Theodoridis@salford.ac.uk, University of Salford
- Asanthi, Aturaliya, Mrs., gm@spmc.gov.lk, SPMC, General Manager
ROBOTICS & AI PROJECTS
- ROS2 Vision-Based Pick-and-Place Robot, Developed ROS2 robotic manipulation pipelines integrating RGB-D cameras with robotic arm control., Implemented object detection, depth-based coordinate estimation, robotic grasp logic, and contour-based object analysis., Pharmacy Robotics Research Project, Developed RGB-D perception systems and robotic grasp-selection concepts for pharmacy automation., Explored OCR orientation methods, edge analysis, and object-affordance estimation for intelligent robotic picking., Interactive Avatar & AI-Based Human-Robot Interaction System, Developed a ROS-based interactive avatar integrating conversational AI, STT, TTS, and NLP models including MiniLM and RoBERTa., Implemented semantic similarity analysis and contextual response generation.
- AI & Optimization Approaches for Inverse Kinematics (7-DOF Arm), Researched optimization techniques including Genetic Algorithms, PSO, Differential Evolution, Random Forest models, and Neural Networks for robotic inverse kinematics prediction and optimization., Autonomous Mobile Robot Navigation & Tracking System, Developed fuzzy logic-based obstacle avoidance, odometry navigation, target tracking, and color-tracking systems for autonomous mobile robots and navigation experiments., SLAM & Navigation Practice, Practiced ROS2-based SLAM and navigation workflows using LiDAR and camera integration concepts in Ubuntu-based robotics environments.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Intelligent Robotic Manipulation
- Healthcare Robotics
- Autonomous Navigation
- Human-Robot Interaction
- Industrial Automation
- Computer Vision for Robotics
Timeline
Pharmacy Assistant
NHS
2025.05 - Current
Sortation Operative
Amazon Warehouse
2024.11 - 2025.01
MSc - Robotics and Automation
University of Salford
2023.09 - 2024.09
Production Manager
State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation (SPMC), Sri Lanka
2012.03 - 2023.09
Pharmaceutical Technologist
State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation (SPMC), Sri Lanka
2006.03 - 2012.03
PG Diploma - Manufacturing Engineering Systems
University of Moratuwa
MSc - Industrial Automation
University of Moratuwa
BSc - Chemical & Process Engineering
University of Moratuwa