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Anuk Dissanayake

@anukdissanayake

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Lead AI Engineer building scalable, production-ready AI systems for real impact.

Sri Lanka

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What I'm looking for

I’m looking to lead end-to-end AI/ML delivery—designing scalable, production-ready systems, improving LLM performance for low latency, and mentoring teams through strong MLOps practices and modern GenAI tooling.

I’m a Lead AI Engineer with high-level quantitative analytical skills and a strong academic foundation in programming, AI, data science, machine learning, statistics, and risk-focused modeling. With a BSc in Statistics (Special) with First Class Honors (GPA 3.62) and an MSc from Imperial College London, I bring a solid statistical and computational mindset to designing AI systems.

In my recent work, I develop RAG-powered and knowledge-graph-driven products, including a policy Q&A chatbot for multi-country documentation and an AI-driven CV screening tool integrated with the SmartRecruiters API. I also optimize LLM performance using quantization, LoRA-based fine-tuning, hyperparameter tuning, and knowledge distillation—integrating MCP servers for modular orchestration—while leading teams (e.g., a team of 8), mentoring engineers, and translating business needs into implementable ML system designs.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Lead AI Engineer

Current

Maya Global

Jul 2024 - Present (1 year 11 months)

Developed a RAG-powered policy Q&A chatbot using multi-country documentation (26 countries) and built an AI CV screening tool integrating with the SmartRecruiters API to streamline recruitment workflows. Led an AI license management solution using knowledge graphs, optimized LLMs with quantization and LoRA fine-tuning, and led a team of 8 engineers through deployment.

RAG LLM Knowledge Graphs SmartRecruiters API Integration Model Quantization Knowledge Distillation LoRA Finetuning

Senior Data Scientist

Maya Global

Feb 2024 - Jul 2024 (5 months)

Built disease risk prediction models using weather/soil sensor data from IoT devices and drones. Developed a LangChain RAG chatbot for greenkeepers using 500+ PDFs and implemented ML/DL solutions in PyTorch and TensorFlow.

Disease Risk Prediction Drone Data Analytics Lang Chain RAG Bots PyTorch TensorFlow Machine Learning Deep Learning

Data Scientist

Octave – John Keells Holdings PLC

Jan 2021 - Feb 2024 (3 years 1 month)

Developed ML pipelines and production-ready model management practices across finance, consumer foods, retail, and leisure use cases, implementing solutions in PyTorch and TensorFlow. Led use-case teams of 4, established MLOps patterns with MLflow and a Model Registry, deployed pilot tracking and intervention strategies to maximize revenue, and mentored junior data scientists.

MLOps MLFlow Model Registry PyTorch TensorFlow Pilot Tracking & Interventions Stakeholder Management

Visiting Lecturer (Data Science)

NIBM

Jan 2020 - Feb 2024 (4 years 1 month)

Taught BSc/MSc Data Science modules including Introduction to Programming in Python, Programming for Data Science, and Machine Learning. Delivered course instruction focused on practical programming and applied ML concepts.

Python Programming Data Science Machine Learning Teaching & Instruction

Senior Executive – BI Analytics

Dialog Axiata PLC

May 2019 - Dec 2020 (1 year 7 months)

Owned churn management and customer life cycle analytics, including segmentation/profiling and data visualization dashboards. Built ML models to support stakeholders’ analyses and coordinated work streams in agile environments with multiple stakeholders.

Churn Management Customer Segmentation Data Visualization Dashboard Development Agile Delivery

Data Engineer

Salpo Technologies (Pvt) Ltd

Jan 2019 - May 2019 (4 months)

Deployed statistical and machine learning models for data analysis and processed large datasets. Integrated data from multiple sources to support analytics needs.

Statistical Modeling Data Integration Model Driven Data Analysis

Temporary Assistant Lecturer

Department of Statistics, University of Colombo

Prepared and delivered SPSS and R practical sessions to 50+ undergraduates, with 70%+ grade achievement and excellent feedback. Maintained the departmental computer cluster (40+ PCs) by installing new software, creating user logins, and troubleshooting hardware and software issues.

SPSS R Practical Data Analysis Teaching Troubleshooting

Associate – Data Analytics

Ernst and Young, Sri Lanka

Supported EY Advisory’s data analytics practice in Sri Lanka, helping local organisations access analytics solutions across industries and functions.

Data & Analytics Analytics Consulting Digital Strategy

Data Analytics Intern

Argyle X (Private) Limited

Introduced a MySQL server to a database system previously maintained in MS Excel and was recognized by the CEO for the work. Worked on internal projects using MySQL and SQL Server and assisted a geo-coding project using R.

MySQL SQL Server SQL R

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Business School, Imperial College London

Master of Science, Risk Management and Financial Engineering

2017 - 2018

MSc in Risk Management and Financial Engineering covering areas such as advanced financial statistics, investments, risk management, stochastic calculus for finance, and asset allocation and options theory.

Faculty of Science, University of Colombo

Bachelor of Science, Statistics (Special)

2013 - 2016

Grade: First Class Honors (GPA 3.62)

BSc in Statistics (Special) with First Class Honors and GPA 3.62, including coursework in calculus, linear algebra, statistical inference, generalized linear models, econometrics, and multivariate and categorical data analysis.