Bhasura Suseen Gunawardhana

I am a Ph.D. student in Visual Computing & Interactive Media at Texas A&M University. My research interests lie at the intersection of computer graphics, computer vision, HCI, and XR, focusing on fundamental graphics, vision, and interaction problems that enable intuitive, immersive, and human-centered systems. As intelligent technologies advance, I believe asking the right questions is more important than ever.

I earned my Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Houston and my Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. I also have over three years of professional experience as a Software Engineer in the training and simulation industry.

Publications

Publications by category, in reverse chronological order.

2024

Toward User-Aware Interactive Virtual Agents: Generative Multi-Modal Agent Behaviors in VR

Bhasura S Gunawardhana, Yunxiang Zhang, Qi Sun, and 1 more author

In 2024 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR), 2024

Abs Bib DOI

Virtual agents serve as a vital interface within XR platforms. However, generating virtual agent behaviors typically rely on pre-coded actions or physics-based reactions. In this paper we present a learning-based multimodal agent behavior generation framework that adapts to users’ in-situ behaviors, similar to how humans interact with each other in the real world. By leveraging an in-house collected, dyadic conversational behavior dataset, we trained a conditional variational autoencoder (CVAE) model to achieve userconditioned generation of virtual agents’ behaviors. Together with large language models (LLM), our approach can generate both the verbal and non-verbal reactive behaviors of virtual agents. Our comparative user study confirmed our method’s superiority over conventional animation graph-based baseline techniques, particularly regarding user-centric criteria. Thorough analyses of our results underscored the authentic nature of our virtual agents’ interactions and the heightened user engagement during VR interaction. .
@inproceedings{gunawardhana2024toward, title = {Toward User-Aware Interactive Virtual Agents: Generative Multi-Modal Agent Behaviors in VR}, author = {Gunawardhana, Bhasura S and Zhang, Yunxiang and Sun, Qi and Deng, Zhigang}, booktitle = {2024 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR)}, pages = {1068--1077}, year = {2024}, doi = {10.1109/ISMAR62088.2024.00123}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1109/ISMAR62088.2024.00123}, annotation = {[https://doi.org/10.1109/ISMAR62088.2024.00123]}, organization = {IEEE}, dimensions = {true}, }

Open Publications on its own page →

Portfolio

Technical and creative work together, sectioned by category — click on images for more details.

Training and Simulation

SAF-TAC by SimCentric Technologies, 2019 - 2022.

VR/Desktop multiplayer platform for simulation and training.

Interactive VR volume rendering to explore medical data, Fall 2023.

Implementation of the Reymarch algorithm to support volume rendering in VR view and interactions.

Computer Graphics & Computer Vision

Undergraduate Research - Simulation of Climbing Plants with Twining Behaviour, 2018-2019.

Computer graphics simulation of biomechanical behaviors, including twining and support-finding in climbing plants.

Face Detection in Large Distances (FaDiLD), Spring 2023.

Improving redina face for large distance face detection using IOU aware loss function.

Games

All Elephants Go to Heaven,
Epic Mega Jam 2020

Virtual Reality(VR) game designed for the Oculus Rift S and Oculus Quest, featuring an endless wave-based gameplay format.

Under The Ice,
Unreal Spring Jam 2020

A multiplayer game where players must cooperate to escape a ice cave, with the twist that one of them is secretly an enemy.

LOL Game, 2nd Runner-up - Games Category - Microsoft Imagine Cup Sri Lanka 2015.

A mobile game where you tap to make the character laugh out loud.

Bamboo Game, 2017-2018.

A multiplayer online battle arena game where players craft and fight with bamboo-based weapons.

Game of Thoughts, Finalist - Games Category - Microsoft Imagine Cup Sri Lanka 2016.

A turn-based strategy game based on the cellular automata "Game of Life."

3D modeling & Animation

Canvas Backpack LookDev, 2025

Asset Surfacing and Look Development.

FrogSized, 2024

3D modeling and animation.

3D animation for advertisement, 2022

3D animation advertisement to promote digital banking solution.

3D Creature, 2017

3D sculpting, retopology, texturing, riging.

Virtual Production

Sixth Side ICVFX Short film teaser, 2025

Test virtual production shoot for "Sixth Side" a mysterious dice disrupts six worlds, triggering fate-driven chaos and change before disappearing.

Web, IOT & UI/UX

Smart Institute Management Solution (SIMS), 2018.

A web based sytem to efficiently handle academic and administrative tasks of a medium scale institute.

Hospital Office Management System, 2016.

Web based Hospital office management system designed to streamline and organize various administrative tasks within a healthcare facility.

IOT solution “Measure Wire”, 1st Runner-up - Innovation Category - Microsoft Imagine Cup Sri Lanka 2016.

IOT solution “Measure Wire” mobile app and a device where we can take our everyday measurements

SIMUI - SAF-TAC UI/UX Design, 2021

UI/UX desing for SAF-TAC traning simulaiton platform, used Adobe XD to create the design, present to the stake holders, and iterate.

Graphic Design

Ninnada Concert Graphic Designs, 2017

Designed Flyers, Posters, Tickets, and Banners using Adobe Photoshop. Intro video edited using Adobe Premiere Pro.

IEEE student branch Graphic Designs, 2015

Designed Flyers and Stickers using Adobe Photoshop.

Minimal Movie Poster Designs, 2014

Fun project to come up with minimal movie posters. Designed using Adobe Photoshop.

Drawing

Human Figure Anatomy Study, 2023

Medium - Ipad, Procreate, Size - 1640 x 2360 pixels

Face Anatomy Study, 2020

Medium - Graphite Pencil, Page size - 5.83 x 8.27 inches

Crystal Dreams, 2023

Medium - Watercolor, Page size - 11 x 14 inches

Theatre and Video

Theater play "Right is Wrong", 2011

Script writing and directing

Theater play "A Journy of a Lifetime" for 'Romenthe' Event, 2016

Script writing and directing of series of interconnected short stories, woven together to guide an event.

Theater play "The Statue Thieves", 2009

Acting and set designing

Speech Olympiad opening short movie, 2022

Event opening short movie for Speech Olympiad finals hosted by the Gavel Club at the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.

Dynamic set design with live mime actors for Clubs & Societies Felicitation Ceremony, 2013

Set design and mime choreography

Open Portfolio on its own page →

CV

General Information

Full Name	Bhasura Suseen Gunawardhana
Website	bhasurasuseen.github.io

Education

Aug 2024 - Present

PhD in Visual Computing & Interactive Media

Texas A&M University — College Station, TX, USA

GPA 4.0/4.0 (Expected Graduation May 2028)
Aug 2022 - Aug 2024

MS in Computer Science

University of Houston — TX, USA

GPA 3.934/4.0
Feb 2015 - Feb 2019

BS in Computer Science

University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC) — Colombo 07, Sri Lanka

GPA 3.39/4.0

Research Interests

Interactive Computer Graphics, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Extended Reality (XR), Visualization, Virtual Production, Animation Synthesis, Motion Capture, Volume Capture, Digital Twins, Gaming, Game-Based Learning, Deep Learning, Simulation, Agent-Based Modeling, Computer Vision, and Robotic Simulation.

Technical Skills

	Software Development & Programming
	C++, Python, C#, R, Java, JavaScript, Unreal Engine, Unity3D, OpenGL, GLSL, HLSL, VTK, OpenCV, PyTorch, Git, SVN, Linux

	Creative Media & Design
	Houdini, Autodesk Maya, Blender, Autodesk 3DS Max, ZBrush, Motion Builder, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe XD, DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects

Publications

Gunawardhana, B.S., Zhang, Y., Sun, Q. and Deng, Z., 2024, October. Toward User-Aware Interactive Virtual Agents: Generative Multi-Modal Agent Behaviors in VR. In 2024 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR) (pp. 1068-1077). IEEE.

Research Experience

Aug 2024 - Present
Research Assistant — Virtual Production Institute

College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts, Texas A&M University
- VVAI Lab: Developing a Mixed Reality Digital Twin Framework for Training, Accessibility, and Pipeline Optimization in Virtual Production.
- Assisted Summer Industry Course (SIC) 2025 by troubleshooting technical problems related to the Unreal Engine pipeline. Developed TechViz tools. Conducted mini workshops on Virtual Scouting, Virtual Camera, Motion and Facial Capture.
- Assisted in building and configuring the initial virtual production stages for VPI, including ICVFX workflows with a large LED volume, cinema cameras, motion tracking systems, and real-time rendering software.
Aug 2022 - Aug 2024
VR Agent Conversation Animation Synthesis

University of Houston — TX, USA
- Captured multimodal conversation data including full-body VICON motion capture, eye tracking, speech audio, and video.
- Developed an Unreal Engine and LLM based VR conversation agent system.
- Designed and trained a body and eye motion synthesis Generative AI (CVAE — Conditional Variational Auto Encoder) model.
Feb 2018 - Feb 2019
Final Year Undergraduate Research — Individual Project

Thesis Topic: "Simulation of climbing plants with twining behavior"
- Developed an experimental setup to study the behavior of twining plants, creating a dataset of growth time-lapses and plant measurements.
- Proposed a novel collision-based twining plant simulation model, enhancing the biomechanical aspects of existing models.
- Conducted real-time simulations, evaluating both behavioral realism and computational efficiency.

Virtual Production Experience

Summer 2025

"The Experiment", "Plunder" — Summer Industry Course Virtual Production Projects

Unreal Pipeline Technician / TA

Tools & Technologies: Unreal Engine / ICVFX: Sony Verona LED Panels, Stype Camera Tracking, Sony VENICE/BURANO.
Spring 2025

"Sixth Side" — Test Shoot for a Virtual Production Shortfilm in Pre-Production

Writing, Directing, and Virtual Production Supervising

Tools & Technologies: Unreal Engine / ICVFX: Sony Verona LED Panels, Vicon Camera Tracking, Sony BURANO / DaVinci Resolve
Fall 2024

"The Elves and the Shoemaker" — Virtual Production Short

Virtual Production Technician

Tools & Technologies: Unreal Engine / ICVFX: Sony Verona LED Panels, Vicon Camera Tracking, Sony BURANO

Teaching Experience

Summer 2025

Unreal Engine Technician / TA — Summer Industry Course (SIC) 2025 in Virtual Production

Texas A&M University, TX, USA
Spring and Summer 2024

Instructional Assistant (IA) — Interactive Computer Graphics (COSC 4370/6372)

University of Houston, TX, USA
Fall 2023

Instructional Assistant (IA) — Interactive Computer Graphics (COSC 4370)

University of Houston, TX, USA
Spring and Summer 2022

Instructional Assistant (IA) — Software Design (COSC 4353/6353)

University of Houston, TX, USA
Fall 2022

Instructional Assistant (IA) — Computer Science and Programming (COSC 1336)

University of Houston, TX, USA
Feb 2020 - July 2020

Visiting Lecturer — Game Designing (MI 5015)

Academy of Design, Colombo, Sri Lanka (affiliated with Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK)

Work Experience

June 2021 - July 2022

Senior Software Engineer

SimCentric Technologies, Orion City IT Park, Colombo 09, Sri Lanka
Feb 2019 - May 2021

Software Engineer

SimCentric Technologies, Orion City IT Park, Colombo 09, Sri Lanka
May 2019 - July 2022
SAF-TAC Project — Epic Mega Grant Recipient

VR/Desktop multiplayer application designed specifically for military simulation and training with essential simulation functions such as Exercise Control, Scenario Authoring, and After-Action Review. Tools & Technologies: C++ / Unreal Engine 4 / Unreal Blueprints / Blender
- Contributed to the development of map and content modding infrastructure.
- Contributed to iterative development of a hybrid (animation and IK driven) 3-point tracked full-body VR avatar system.
- Developed 3D interaction systems and 3D user interfaces for VR users.
- Developed 3D/2D scenario authoring/replay tools and user interfaces.
- Developed camera, navigation, and switching systems for vehicles and characters.
- Developed time-of-day and weather control features.
- Created dynamic paths (aircraft and projectile) and shape-drawing plugins.
- Initiated profiling, optimization processes, and multiplayer replication best practices to improve performance and concurrent player count.
- Integrated an in-house haptic suit and ProTubeVR haptic weapon.
- Carried out logic/content optimizations and configurations to support multiple VR devices (Oculus Rift/Rift S, Oculus Quest, Samsung Odyssey, HTC Vive, Varjo XR).
Feb 2019 - April 2019
SAF-Fires Project

Standards-based, image-generator-agnostic, and scalable Call-For-Fire and Close Air Support training simulation suitable for deployment in Joint Fires and accreditable Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) training simulators. Tools & Technologies: C / C++
- Integrated the NVIDIA PhysX physics engine.
- Developed a rotary-wing flight dynamic model capable of handling manual controls from standard joysticks.
Aug 2017 - Jan 2018
Research & Development Intern

Synopsys

Tools & Technologies: C / C++ / Python / Verilog / VHDL / shell script / Linux
- Participated in training sessions and exercises on C, C++, register-transfer level (RTL) languages (Verilog, VHDL), electronic design automation (EDA) technologies, and ASIC/SoC pipelines.
- Implemented new LINT rules and RTL test cases for an electronic design and verification tool.
- Analysed and fixed memory issues and contributed to developing regression test infrastructure.
- Contributed to R&D work to create a "Machine learning framework to predict which LINT rules to run on an electronic design".

Awards

2017
- Selected for the "Spiralation" Startup Support Program — Bamboo Game — ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA)
2016
- 1st Runner-up — Measure Wire — Microsoft Imagine Cup Sri Lanka, Innovation Category
- Finalist — Game of Thoughts — Microsoft Imagine Cup Sri Lanka, Games Category
2015
- 2nd Runner-up — LOL Game — Microsoft Imagine Cup Sri Lanka, Games Category
2011
- Best Direction, Best Script — Theater Play "Right is Wrong" — Royal College Colombo Inter House Sinhala Drama Competition

3D Modeling & Animation

Fall 2024

"FrogSized" 3D animation short — Responsible for all aspects

Tools & Technologies: Unreal Engine / Maya / Houdini / Substance Painter / DaVinci Resolve
May 2022

3D animation advertisement for a digital banking solution

Tools & Technologies: Unreal Engine / Blender / Adobe After Effects

Technical Projects

Fall 2023

Interactive VR Volume Rendering to explore medical data

Tools & Technologies: Unreal Engine 5, C++, HLSL
Dec 2020

VR game "All Elephants Go to Heaven", developed for Epic Mega Jam 2020

Tools & Technologies: Unreal Engine 4, C++
July 2020

Desktop multiplayer game "Under The Ice", developed for Unreal Spring Jam 2020

Tools & Technologies: Unreal Engine 4, C++
Jan 2018 - Aug 2018

Hospital channelling system for Southern Lanka Hospitals

Tools & Technologies: Node.js / Feathers / MongoDB / Angular 5 / Angular Material / Ngx Charts / AWS
Jan 2018 - Aug 2018

Smart institute management solution "SIMS"

Tools & Technologies: Node.js / Feathers / MongoDB / Angular 5 / Angular Material / Ngx Charts / AWS
2017 - 2018

Desktop multiplayer game "Bamboo Game", developed with the Spiralation Startup program

Tools & Technologies: Unreal Engine 4, C++
2016

Hospital office management system for Panadura Base Hospital

Tools & Technologies: HTML / CSS / JavaScript / D3.js / PHP / MySQL / Azure
Feb 2016 - May 2016

IOT solution "Measure Wire" — a mobile app and device for taking everyday measurements

Tools & Technologies: Arduino / Android / Java
Feb 2016 - May 2016

Two-player game based on cellular automata, "Game of Thoughts"

Tools & Technologies: Unity Game Engine / C# / 3ds Max
Feb 2015 - May 2015

"LOL Game" — a mobile game where players make characters laugh by tapping

Tools & Technologies: Unity Game Engine / C# / Adobe Illustrator

Sessions & Workshops

May 2020

Visiting session on Unreal Engine 4 for UCSC 3rd year game development module
Jan 2020

Unreal Engine 4 sessions for game development — Vocational Training Institute, Colombo 06, Sri Lanka
Dec 2019

Unreal Engine 4 sessions for game development — Informatics Institute of Technology, Colombo 05, Sri Lanka
Dec 2019

Mentor at "Game Rush" game hackathon, organized by UCSC IEEE student branch
Nov 2019

Session on UE4 game development at "Game Rush", organized by UCSC IEEE student branch

Leadership

Sept 2012 - Dec 2013

Senior Prefect

Royal College, Colombo 07
Jan 2011 - Dec 2011

Chairman

Royal College Colombo Astronomical Society
Jan 2010 - Dec 2010

Assistant Chairman

Royal College Colombo Sinhala Drama Society

Hobbies

Traveling, Reading, Watching Movies, Story & Script Writing, Observational Astronomy, Archery, Gaming.

Open full CV on its own page →

2024

Training and Simulation

SAF-TAC by SimCentric Technologies, 2019 - 2022.

Interactive VR volume rendering to explore medical data, Fall 2023.

Computer Graphics & Computer Vision

Undergraduate Research - Simulation of Climbing Plants with Twining Behaviour, 2018-2019.

Face Detection in Large Distances (FaDiLD), Spring 2023.

Games

All Elephants Go to Heaven, Epic Mega Jam 2020

Under The Ice, Unreal Spring Jam 2020

LOL Game, 2nd Runner-up - Games Category - Microsoft Imagine Cup Sri Lanka 2015.

Bamboo Game, 2017-2018.

Game of Thoughts, Finalist - Games Category - Microsoft Imagine Cup Sri Lanka 2016.

3D modeling & Animation

Canvas Backpack LookDev, 2025

FrogSized, 2024

3D animation for advertisement, 2022

3D Creature, 2017

Virtual Production

Sixth Side ICVFX Short film teaser, 2025

Web, IOT & UI/UX

Smart Institute Management Solution (SIMS), 2018.

Hospital Office Management System, 2016.

IOT solution “Measure Wire”, 1st Runner-up - Innovation Category - Microsoft Imagine Cup Sri Lanka 2016.

SIMUI - SAF-TAC UI/UX Design, 2021

Graphic Design

Ninnada Concert Graphic Designs, 2017

IEEE student branch Graphic Designs, 2015

Minimal Movie Poster Designs, 2014

Drawing

Human Figure Anatomy Study, 2023

Face Anatomy Study, 2020

Crystal Dreams, 2023

Theatre and Video

Theater play "Right is Wrong", 2011

Theater play "A Journy of a Lifetime" for 'Romenthe' Event, 2016

Theater play "The Statue Thieves", 2009

Speech Olympiad opening short movie, 2022

Dynamic set design with live mime actors for Clubs & Societies Felicitation Ceremony, 2013

General Information

Education

PhD in Visual Computing & Interactive Media

MS in Computer Science

BS in Computer Science

Research Interests

Technical Skills

Publications

Research Experience

Research Assistant — Virtual Production Institute

VR Agent Conversation Animation Synthesis

Final Year Undergraduate Research — Individual Project

Virtual Production Experience

"The Experiment", "Plunder" — Summer Industry Course Virtual Production Projects

"Sixth Side" — Test Shoot for a Virtual Production Shortfilm in Pre-Production

"The Elves and the Shoemaker" — Virtual Production Short

Teaching Experience

Unreal Engine Technician / TA — Summer Industry Course (SIC) 2025 in Virtual Production

Instructional Assistant (IA) — Interactive Computer Graphics (COSC 4370/6372)

Instructional Assistant (IA) — Interactive Computer Graphics (COSC 4370)

Instructional Assistant (IA) — Software Design (COSC 4353/6353)

Instructional Assistant (IA) — Computer Science and Programming (COSC 1336)

Visiting Lecturer — Game Designing (MI 5015)

Work Experience

Senior Software Engineer

Software Engineer

SAF-TAC Project — Epic Mega Grant Recipient

SAF-Fires Project

Research & Development Intern

Awards

3D Modeling & Animation

"FrogSized" 3D animation short — Responsible for all aspects

3D animation advertisement for a digital banking solution

Technical Projects

Interactive VR Volume Rendering to explore medical data

VR game "All Elephants Go to Heaven", developed for Epic Mega Jam 2020

Desktop multiplayer game "Under The Ice", developed for Unreal Spring Jam 2020

Hospital channelling system for Southern Lanka Hospitals

Smart institute management solution "SIMS"

Desktop multiplayer game "Bamboo Game", developed with the Spiralation Startup program

Hospital office management system for Panadura Base Hospital

All Elephants Go to Heaven,
Epic Mega Jam 2020

Under The Ice,
Unreal Spring Jam 2020