Nimesha Ranasinghe

Dr. Nimesha Ranasinghe serves as Assistant Professor of Spatial Computing in the School of Computing and Information Science at the University of Maine, where he joined in 2018. He leads the Multisensory Interactive Media Lab (MIM Lab) and maintains affiliations with the Spatial Data Science Institute, successor to the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis.

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. from National University of Singapore (2013)
• B.Sc. from University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka (2007)

Dr. Ranasinghe pioneers research at the intersection of Spatial Computing and Human-Computer Interaction, with groundbreaking work in digital taste technology. His inventions—including the Digital Lollipop and Virtual Cocktail (Vocktail) systems—enable virtual flavor experiences through electrical/thermal stimulation of taste receptors, featured globally by New York Times, BBC, and Discovery Channel. This work establishes new frontiers in multisensory AR interfaces where physical and digital sensory experiences converge.

His scientific recognition includes:

• netexplo Innovation Award (2014) for Digital Lollipop at UNESCO HQ, Paris

As a supervisor, Dr. Ranasinghe cultivates innovation in the MIM Lab through hands-on research in sensory computing. Students develop novel interfaces while engaging with his extensive publication record in top venues like ACM CHI and Journal of Human-Computer Studies. His lab resources support prototyping of multisensory systems with applications in healthcare, entertainment, and remote communication.

The Multisensory Interactive Media Lab serves as the operational hub for his research, equipped with specialized hardware for taste simulation, AR/VR development, and physiological monitoring systems to advance human-sensory interaction.