Dr Biyanka Ekanayake

As a kid, Dr Biyanka Ekanayake didn’t know that her brother’s technology interests would be the catalyst for her future career. 

“I grew up with a brother whom you could call a tech nerd. He was really interested in gaming, automation and all these sorts of tech things, which sparked my fascination with technology,” she says. 

“When I was studying a facilities management degree, I quickly realised that technology had an important role to play in the global construction and property sector.”

Why UTS

A facility management professional and researcher in her home country of Sri Lanka, Biyanka first came to UTS in 2019 in pursuit of a PhD. She’d won two generous scholarships and was motivated by the opportunity to work with internationally acclaimed academics in construction management and automation. 

A friend who’d completed a Masters at UTS also encouraged her to come, saying that UTS was Australia’s answer to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the world’s top-ranked university.

“I can see why she said that. UTS is very tech-focused, very innovative. It’s always had this industry collaboration and a creative mindset."

Biyanka went on to develop a PhD thesis focused on the use of computer vision and deep learning algorithms to measure the work-in-progress of construction elements. She also worked as a casual academic for three years in the UTS Construction program while completing her PhD. 

Her research and prior work led to a job offer, which in turn led to the opportunity to teach into the UTS Construction and Property programs and inspire other students to follow in her footsteps. 

Tech is the future

As the lecturer in the Construction Futures subject and the upcoming Property Futures subject, Biyanka is committed to introducing future construction and property professionals to the technologies that will shape their future careers. 

“I’m introducing students to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, blockchain and robotics along with their current and potential applications,” she says.

“Tech is the future of the construction industry.”   

Biyanka is also involved in teaching and coordinating a series of subjects on time, cost, and quality — what sector professionals refer to as the ‘iron triangle’ of construction projects. 

But what she finds most exciting, and what she thinks students enjoy most about the Construction program, is its unwavering commitment to translating theoretical learning into real-world experience. 

This includes industry case studies, site visits, and a minimum of 200 days of paid industry placements at leading property and construction companies including — but not limited to — Taylor, Mirvac and Hansen Yuncken.

“Our students are very talented, so they get paid well. They work very hard, both at uni and in their work placements,” Biyanka says. 

A sought-after program

Such high-achieving students are a measure of just how sought-after the UTS Construction program is among domestic students; graduates are in high demand in the workforce and tend to go on to high-paying careers.

But Biyanka is now turning her attention to making it more attractive to a broader cohort.

In particular, she says, she wants to see more women, Indigenous students and international students find a home for themselves in the construction industry.

To that end, she’s working with her colleagues to revitalise the faculty’s Women in Construction program, which helps female students build their networks and access additional supports throughout their UTS degree.

Elsewhere, Biyanka and her team are working to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander enrolments in Construction degrees and embed Indigenous methodologies into the course curriculum. 

Next on the list is tapping into the international student market, something that Biyanka is very passionate about. As an immigrant herself, she knows that increased diversity is a win for everyone. 

“When I first came to Sydney, something I loved was how culturally diverse this country is,” she says. 

“People from different backgrounds bring something new to the table — it’s a lot of different heads coming together and putting forward beautiful ideas.

“The construction industry needs this diversity too.”