Janaka Senanayake

Dr. Janaka Senanayake is a Lecturer in Cybersecurity at Robert Gordon University (RGU), attached to the School of Computing, Engineering and Technology. He is affiliated with the Cybersecurity Research Group and contributes to the university's 'Living in a Digital World' research theme.

Dr. Senanayake completed his PhD in Cybersecurity at RGU, specializing in software security. He earned a Bachelor of Science (Special) in MIT with First Class Honors from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka in 2017. Prior to joining RGU, he worked as a Software Engineer at DirectFN Pvt. Ltd. and NDB Bank Information Technology and R&D Department for approximately three years, and also served as a lecturer and researcher at several international universities.

His research focuses on cybersecurity, software security, mobile computing, artificial intelligence, and software engineering. Dr. Senanayake has published extensively on Android security, AI-powered vulnerability detection, and network security solutions. His recent work demonstrates a strong emphasis on practical security applications using advanced AI techniques while addressing privacy concerns through approaches like federated learning.

Dr. Senanayake has produced 23 publications from 2021-2025, with a significant concentration of high-impact work in 2024-2025. His research output shows a clear trajectory toward integrating cutting-edge AI technologies with practical cybersecurity applications, particularly in mobile and network security domains.

His notable contributions include:

• MADONNA: A browser-based malicious domain detection system using optimized neural networks
• FedREVAN: Real-time detection of vulnerable Android source code through federated neural networks with XAI
• DroidKey: A framework for API key security in Android applications
• Research on integrating large language models for automated vulnerability scanning

Dr. Senanayake is actively involved in PhD supervision with research topics including Software Security, Cybersecurity, Security and Artificial Intelligence, Mobile Security, and Law and AI. His industry background combined with academic expertise provides a valuable practical perspective to his research and teaching.

He maintains active research collaborations, as evidenced by his numerous co-authored publications with researchers from different institutions, particularly focusing on cybersecurity challenges in both Western and Sri Lankan contexts.