Namodh Edirisinghe

“I’ve loved playing around with computers forever; from coding when I was 11 years old to running security exploits when I was 15, exploring what computers are capable of has always been a key part of my life growing up, so choosing Computer Science for advanced education was a no-brainer!

“I was schooling in Colombo, Sri Lanka prior to moving to Auckland to study. I chose University of Auckland because it ranks well, and I saw that the Computer Science programmes had great structure with comprehensive courses for many sub-disciplines, which provided greater freedom than other undergraduate programmes. I also noticed an even split between industry and research-based courses, meaning I was able to get the best of both worlds before making a decision between going into the industry or continuing with postgraduate options.

“Immigrating to NZ and starting study within just a month was difficult, as there were different cultural and social expectations here than those I was used to back in Sri Lanka. However, the support from lecturers, tutors, and UniServices all played a role in getting great grades across my first year. The wide range of clubs and support groups also provided healthy environments to socialise and practise my hobbies, such as Futsal and Video Game Development!

“In the first few years, I loved that the Advanced Science programme offered a comprehensive foundation in Computer Science, after which I had the freedom to specialise in Digital Security for my final two years. It was fairly easy and natural for me and my peers to make clear decisions regarding what to specialise in. I also appreciate the inclusion of research-oriented papers from Stage II, ensuring I was prepared for Honours and any postgraduate research I am to do in the future.  

“My Honours dissertation focuses on reducing vulnerabilities in software code. I found this very entertaining as it covers several disciplines independent of cybersecurity, such as psychology, education, and HCI. This project required understanding user perspectives from various stakeholders and environments, and I really enjoyed reviewing prominent work from various avenues, and making new research claims to directly influence the global software development industry.

“Having studied for four years, I aim to make an impact in the Cybersecurity industry, and I’ve already accepted an offer at a Consulting Firm. With a few years of industry experience under my belt, I plan to undertake postgraduate Masters and a PhD, using the first-hand experience of working in Digital Security to help guide me!”