Puwasala Gamakumara

Research Fellow

Monash University

Hello! I warmly welcome you to my official home page.

I am a statistician, specialised in applied statistics and data science. Currently I am working as a research fellow at the Monash University affiliated with ARC Center of Excellence for Mathematics and Statistical Frontiers.

I completed my PhD at the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics, Monash University, under the supervision of Prof. Rob J Hyndman, Prof. Anastasios Panagiotelis and Prof. George Athanasopoulos. My dissertation was on hierarchical forecasting methods, mainly focusing on the probabilistic framework. Upon the completion of my PhD, I started an internship with the smart pricing team at Wal-Mart eCommerce in Silicon Valley, Califonia. I presumed this was a great opportunity to understand how the theoretical statistics can be applied for forecasting in scientific business management.

I enjoy myself exploring new depths in statistics and applying statistical concepts on real life matters. I often use R and Python languages to come up with data driven solutions.

Apart from the subject interests, most of my leisure time is spent on trying new recipes in cooking, travelling, and gardening.

Interests

Data science
Time series analysis
Probabilistic forecasting
Anomaly detection

Education

PhD in Statistics, 2020

Monash University, Australia
BSc in Statistics (Honors), 2015

University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

Skills

R

Python

Experience

Research Fellow

Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics, Monash University

Apr 2020 – Present Clayton, Australia

Working on advance anomaly detection in water-quality measures

Data Science Intern

Wal-Mart eCommerce

Jan 2020 – Mar 2020 San Bruno, California

Implementing hierarchical forecasting methods on sales forecasting in particular fashion and store sales.

Teaching Associate

Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics, Monash University

Feb 2017 – Jul 2019 Clayton, Australia

Responsibilities:

Tutorials conducted on Data modelling and computing, Applied forecasting for business and economics, Advanced statistical modelling.

Temporary Assistant Lecturer

Department of Statistics, University of Colombo

Feb 2015 – Jan 2016 Colombo, Sri Lanka

Responsibilities:

Lectures conducted on Time series and forecasting
Tutorials conducted on Operational research, Business statistics, Statistical computing.
Instructing on statistical workshops

Trainee Research Executive (Part time)

PepperCube Consultants (Pvt) Ltd

Jul 2012 – Feb 2015 Colombo 08, Sri Lanka

Responsibilities:

Attending client meetings and interacting with clients from project inception to completion
Preparation of client research proposal (power point and word) – back ground and understanding of scope of research, business/ marketing problem, sample design, target respondent selection, data quality control, analysis parameters, time frame and investment
Development of data collection materials – questionnaire preparation and translations, piloting etc.
Development of data cleaning and entry programs, data cleaning (logical tests etc.)
Development of data analysis plan and carrying out the data analysis
Preparation of Power Point presentation of data findings to client along with recommendations