SLIIT Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering provides pathways to develop professional and pioneering engineers

The SLIIT Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) strives to shine as a leading platform to provide students pathways to become skilled, professional and pioneering engineers, driving the industry to new dimensions.

As the oldest department in the SLIIT Faculty of Engineering, the Department, established in 2009, has earned the reputation of producing engineers who are advanced in technological experience, with strong analytical, problem-solving and communication capabilities and are highly sorted after by the industry.

Prof. Saman Thilakasiri, Dean Faculty of Engineering, SLIIT, “As the oldest department in the Faculty of Engineering, the department is passionate about working, teaching, and researching in one of the most dynamic and relevant fields of study today. We aim to inculcate strong engineering skills that allow our graduates to be greatly valued in both private and governmental organizations.”

The Department is synonymous with organising and hosting the much-awaited annual calendar event – Robofest, recognized as the premier robotic competition in Sri Lanka. The competition which has taken place for over 10 years showcases the theoretical and practical knowledge of robotics of both school students and undergraduates.

EEE also houses well-equipped, expansive engineering laboratories familiarizing students with new technologies through innovative sessions. The laboratories include the Electrical Power Systems Laboratory, Communication Laboratory, Digital Electronics Laboratory, Analogue Electronics Laboratory, D.I.Y. Laboratory, Networking Laboratory and Machines & the Power Electronics Laboratory.

The distinctive lab classes place an emphasis on students’ ability to plan, conduct the experiment and demonstrate outcomes independently. Minimising paper usage, softcopy course material is available and online submissions are actively encouraged.

The Department also offers a unique Subject Clinic platform, where staff members of the particular subject are available for students based on a scheduled time slot ensuring students have easy access to assistance to clarify doubts related to academic matters.

The Department and Staff are committed to collaborate closely with strategic partners to strengthen the industry with skills, technology and research. Among these include the Dialog-SLIIT 5G Innovation Centre with Dialog Axiata and partnerships with top-tier corporates and state sector entities such as the Sri Lanka Army, ACL Cables, Lalan Rubber, MAS, etc.

Staff and students of the department actively contribute to research and development in Electrical and Electronic Engineering related areas.

Notably, the Department has been endowed with funding including working with the Training Hub for Renewable Energy Technologies in Sri Lanka (ThreeLanka) Project, an EU Erasmus + funded project worth approximately 1 million Euros that addresses multiple key challenges for achieving renewable energy supply targets for Sri Lanka. The Faculty of Engineering of SLIIT is a partner of the project and holds a share of approximately 100,000 Euros.

The department has established Dialog-SLIIT 5G Innovations Centre, which is a joint research and development initiative to address 5G and IOT-based industrial problems. This was established as a result of the partnership build with Dialog Axiata and a number of undergraduate and postgraduate level industry-related projects are underway through this.

The Department has also received funding from the AHEAD World Bank project jointly with the Department of Information Technology of Computing Faculty for a research on the ‘Development of a Culturally Sensitive Autism Assessment Tool (towards detecting repetitive behaviours of children).

Additionally, the Department has been successful in securing internal funding in the form of several SLIIT research grants worth LKR 400,000 each.

Dr. Nimsiri Abhayasinghe, Head, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, noted “The Department of EEE ensures high-quality teaching, research, and other services that match its mission. The department is proud of its achievements over the years in research, teaching, and community services. The quality of our research activities is a testament to the many grants received from various research funding agencies. The department is consciously taking initiatives to implant essential skills in its graduates, that are highly demanded in nowadays industries, in addition to the technical skills”