Anusha Withana

Anusha Withana is a Lecturer at the School of Information Technologies, University of Sydney, Australia, where she leads research in the Cardiovascular Initiative (CVI) as EMCR (Early-Mid Career Researcher) lead. Previously, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics and Saarland Informatics Campus, Germany.

Her research focuses on Blended Interfaces—systems that are ubiquitous, environmentally integrated, and leverage natural affordances. She investigates design factors like

• interactivity in personal and shared spaces
• modalities (haptics, sonification)
• social acceptance of interfaces

and technical factors such as

• reusability
• energy efficiency
• technology appropriation

.

Recent publications highlight advancements in on-skin tactile output (Tacttoo), gesture sensing (waveSense), and energy-efficient interactive surfaces (Multi-Touch Skin). Her work emphasizes thin, feel-through, and shallow-depth interaction for wearables and full-body haptics.

Anusha currently advises PhD student Nisal and has secured a Faculty Equipment Grant to establish a FabLab at the University of Sydney. She actively contributes to academic service as a PC member for conferences like ACM UIST and SIGGRAPH Asia.