News – Department of Statistics

19Sep

3rd International Conference on Data Science & Artificial Intelligence (DSAI 2025)

The Department of Statistics, University of Sri Jayewardenepura (USJ), Sri Lanka, together with the Postgraduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya (PGIS), Sri Lanka, are proud to jointly organize the 3rd International Conference on Data Science & Artificial Intelligence (DSAI 2025).

Dates: 19th – 21st November, 2025
Venue: Joint Research and Demonstration Centre, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

This prestigious global conference brings together researchers, academics, and practitioners to share cutting-edge research and applications in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, with a strong focus on supporting growth and innovation in developing countries. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in knowledge sharing, collaboration, and networking with leading experts and emerging innovators in the field.

Tracks of Interest (include, but not limited to):

Affective computing, Applications of DS & AI, Bayesian networks, Constraint satisfaction, Evolutionary computation, Data mining and knowledge discovery, DS & AI in education systems, Explainable, trustable, and moral AI, Foundation of DS & AI, Image analysis, Information retrieval and extraction, Intelligent agents. Knowledge acquisition and ontology, Knowledge representation, Markov networks, Natural language processing, Neural networks and deep learning, Planning and scheduling, Probabilistic inference, Reasoning and argumentation, Semantic web, Uncertainty, Vision and perception.

Important Dates:

Call for Papers: January 15, 2025
Deadline for Paper Submission: June 29, 2025 (Extended)
Notification of Acceptance: August 26, 2025
Camera-ready Submission: September 6, 2025
Early-Bird Registration: September 1^st – 15^th, 2025
Regular Registration: November 1, 2025
Conference Dates: November 19^th– 21^st, 2025

We warmly invite the academic community, industry professionals, and students to participate in this transformative event.

For further details and submission guidelines, please visit the official conference website: https://icdsai.pdn.ac.lk/

18Jan

Activities, Collaboration, News

Concluding Remarks of the International Statistics Conference 2024

Concluding Remarks of the International Statistics Conference 2024 (ISC 2024)

The 4^th triennial International Statistics Conference organized by the Institute of Applied Statistics Sri Lanka (IASSL), International Statistics Conference 2024 (ISC 2024), was held 28 – 29 December 2024 at Cinnamon Lakeside, Colombo. Department of Statistics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura (USJ) was the local collaborator of the conference while Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, Simon Fraser University (SFU), Canada was its international collaborator.

The theme of ISC 2024 was “Unleashing the power of data: Harnessing the Synergy between Statistics and Data Science”. The main objective of the event was to bring together data scientists/statisticians from across the world and provide a platform for them to share their latest research findings on theory and applications of data science/statistics with Sri Lankan data scientists/statisticians. Further, the event also facilitated an immense opportunity for Sri Lankan undergraduates/postgraduates/academics/data Scientists/statisticians to develop collaborations with world renowned researchers/academics/data scientists/statisticians.

As the local collaborator, staff and BSc (honours in Statistics) students took the leading role in organizing and contributed immensely to the event during the past one and a half years. The two-day conference was packed with various academic and industry sessions relevant to the theme. This included six invited talk sessions, seven invited group sessions, two industry talks, two industry invited group sessions and sixteen contributory sessions. Around fifty invited/contributory foreign speakers from different parts of the world were present. In total, each day around 200 attendees were present. The event was a huge success and received excellent feedback from all international and local delegates, invited speakers and participants of ISC 2024. The conference also conducted two competitions: ISC 2024 Case Study Poster Competition and IASSL National Poster Competition. Both competitions were well received by Sri Lankan school children and undergraduates.

The pre-conference workshop of ISC 2024 was also held on the 27^th December, 2024 at the BLC, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. The theme of the conference was “Sports Analytics” and the resource persons consisted of a team from Simon Fraser University, Canada led by Prof. Tim Swartz, a world-renowned sports analytics researcher. Around fifty local/international participants were present for this one-day workshop. I would like to thank the Dean’s office staff and the coordinator and the technical officers of the BLC for assisting us with the arrangements.

Registration Desk

Welcoming Parade

ISC 2024 Inaugural Session

ISC 2024 Inaugural Session

ISC 2024 Keynotes

ISC 2024 Organizing Committee

ISC 2024 Proceedings Book

ISC 2024 IDs and Certificates

ISC 2024 Sessions

ISC 2024 Case Study Poster Competition

IASSL Statistics Poster Competition

ISC 2024 Dinner

Pre-Conference Workshop

Feedback of the participants and resource persons

Below we give the feedback we received from the participants and the resource persons taken from the memory book.

ISC 2024 Memory Book

Feedback Received Via the Online Survey

17Dec

Activities, News

Statistical Consultancy Projects – From April, 2024 to September, 2024

Pollen Morphology of Genera Dillenia L. and Schumacheria Vahl. (Dilleniaceae) in Sri Lanka

This project explored the pollen morphology of two genera, Dillenia and Schumacheria, within the Dilleniaceae family in Sri Lanka. The study provided detailed descriptions of pollen characteristics, contributing to the taxonomic understanding of these plants. The findings enhance the knowledge base for further pollen identification and classification in the region.

Cultural Validation of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to Sinhala and Assessment of Depression and Anxiety among People Living with HIV in Colombo

The aim of this study was to validate the Sinhala version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and to assess its effectiveness in screening for anxiety and depression among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Colombo. The study provided valuable insights into the mental health status of this population, supporting the use of HADS as a reliable tool in the Sinhala-speaking context.

Water and Salt Stress Tolerance of Different Varieties of Quinoa: A Climate Resilience Future Crop for Sri Lanka

This project investigated the tolerance of various quinoa varieties to water and salt stress conditions, with the aim of identifying suitable varieties for cultivation in Sri Lanka. Given the increasing importance of climate-resilient crops, the study’s findings are crucial for enhancing nutritional security and promoting sustainable agriculture in the country.

Runoff Dynamics in a Pine Plantation: Effects of Clear-Cutting and Replanting in Sri Lanka

This project assessed the environmental impact of forest management in a tropical lowland pine plantation by analyzing runoff patterns before and after clear-cutting and replanting. Key factors affecting runoff variation were identified through ANCOVA and Multiple Linear Regression, revealing a marked increase in runoff post-harvest. These insights contribute valuable guidance for sustainable forestry practices.

Optimizing Quinoa Yield and Growth: Responses to Water and Salt Stress

This study aimed to enhance quinoa resilience by examining how a single variety responds to different levels of water and salt stress. Using the Multivariate Kruskal-Wallis test and Mixed Effects models, it identified yield and growth parameters essential for adapting to challenging environments. The findings support strategies to optimize quinoa cultivation in water-limited and saline regions, bolstering food security and sustainability.

Detailed tasks