Samangi Wadinambiarachchi

My Research and Teaching

How can AI join creative work without taking over the thinking?

PhD in Human-Computer Interaction, The University of Melbourne (completed September 2026). I am curious to know how designers think, create and innovate with AI-powered creativity support tools.

Download CV (PDF) Google Scholar ORCID

Research directions

My PhD thesis, AI-powered Creativity Support Tools in Visual Design Work, keeps the designer's experience at the centre. Four threads grow from it, all asking how to bring AI into design practice and education while keeping human creative agency intact.

A designer sketching in a notebook while a friendly robot beside them waits, with small barriers and puzzle pieces on the desk

Productive friction

Can a deliberate pause make designers reflect instead of accepting what AI offers?

A designer and a student look at a giant book of colourful inspiration images that a friendly robot presents

Against sameness

What pulls AI-supported ideation toward the same ideas, and what restores variety?

A robot hands a glowing idea to a calm designer on one side, while on the other side a designer struggles under a heavy block tangled in cables

Asymmetric encounters

How do designers in different cultures and contexts experience the same AI tools differently?

A designer with headphones and a robot sit calmly with eyes closed under a lamp, surrounded by soft sound waves

Mindfulness and flow

Can sound, touch and embodied interaction leave room for incubation?

Publications

Journal articles

  1. Asymmetric encounters with AI: Professional designers' perceptions and integration of AI tools

    Wadinambiarachchi, S., Waycott, J., Wadley, G. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 2026.

    DOI

Conference papers

  1. Reviving Reflection-in-Action: Instilling Designerly Thinking in AI-Supported Ideation through Multimodal Promptings

    Wadinambiarachchi, S., Waycott, J., Wadley, G. In Proceedings of the ACM Creativity and Cognition (C&C '26), pp. 359-376, 2026.

    DOIPDF

  2. Imagining Design Workflows in Agentic AI Futures

    Wadinambiarachchi, S., Waycott, J., Rogers, Y., Wadley, G. In Proceedings of the 37th Australian Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (OzCHI '25), pp. 19-35, November 2025.

    SummaryDOI

  3. The Effects of Generative AI on Design Fixation and Divergent Thinking

    Wadinambiarachchi, S., Kelly, R. M., Pareek, S., Zhou, Q., Velloso, E. In Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, May 2024.

    SummaryDOIPDF

  4. Sinhala traditional music of Sri Lanka for stress relief: an interaction design intervention

    Wadinambiarachchi, S., Samarawickrama, S. FARU 2018 International Research Conference, "Sustainability for people", Galle, Sri Lanka, December 2018.

    Proceedings (PDF)

More: workshops, posters, reports, manuscripts and thesisShow less

Posters and workshop papers

  1. Mapping the Landscape of AI in Design and Creative Education (extended abstract)

    Wadinambiarachchi, S., Jung, H., Lupetti, M. L., Dingler, T., Murray-Rust, D., Dove, G., El Ali, A. Workshop, Creativity and Cognition (C&C '26), London, July 2026.

    DOISummary

  2. Creative Activity Traces in Coding: A Proposed Methodology to Study Creativity of Novice Programmers Using GenAI

    Frau, V., Wadinambiarachchi, S., Frich, J. Workshop paper, Herding CATs: Making Sense of Creative Activity Traces, CHI 2026, Barcelona, 2026.

  3. From Ideas to Pixels: How GenAI affects UX/UI Design

    Wadinambiarachchi, S., Waycott, J., Kelly, R., Rogers, Y., Velloso, E., Wadley, G. Doctoral colloquium, School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne, October 2024.

    Poster (PDF)

  4. How generative AI affect design work

    Wadinambiarachchi, S., Waycott, J., Kelly, R., Velloso, E., Wadley, G. Poster, Generative AI and HCI Workshop, CHI 2024, Honolulu, HI, May 2024.

    Poster (PNG)

  5. How can GenAI affect design work?

    Wadinambiarachchi, S., Waycott, J., Kelly, R., Velloso, E., Wadley, G. Poster, FEIT Graduate Research Showcase, The University of Melbourne, September 2024. Third place.

    Poster (PDF)

  6. Can AI-generated images break design fixation?

    Wadinambiarachchi, S., Kelly, R., Velloso, E. Doctoral colloquium, School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne, October 2022. Best poster.

    Poster (PDF)

Technical report

  1. Augmenting Human Creativity with AI (Dagstuhl Seminar 25442)

    Dingler, T., Giaccardi, E., Rick, S., Shklovski, I., Wadinambiarachchi, S. Dagstuhl Reports, 15(10), pp. 155-172, Schloss Dagstuhl, 2026.

    DOISummary

Doctoral consortium

  1. Exploring AI-powered creativity support tools in design work

    Wadinambiarachchi, S. Doctoral consortium, 36th Australian Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (OzCHI '24), Brisbane, December 2024.

Under review and in preparation

  1. Grounding mindfulness in embodied tangibles: Review & framework for HCI design

    Ratnayake, T. S., Wadinambiarachchi, S., Schombs, S., Eden, J., Oeteomo, D., Johal, W. Manuscript under review.

  2. From words to sensations: How actuated tangibles support state mindfulness

    Ratnayake, T. S., Schombs, S., Wadinambiarachchi, S., Eden, J., Oeteomo, D., Johal, W. Manuscript under review.

Thesis

  1. AI-powered Creativity Support Tools in Visual Design Work

    PhD thesis, The University of Melbourne. Completed September 2026. Supervisors: Dr. Greg Wadley and Prof. Jenny Waycott.

Collaborations and visits

2026–2028
Speculative Infrastructure for Participatory AI Futures, University of Cincinnati international pilot grant, with Heekyoung Jung (PI), Maria Luce Lupetti and Tilman Dingler. The project grew out of a Dagstuhl working group.
2026–now
Research assistant, Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, with Dr. Madhurima Das: how GenAI shapes the concepts designers generate in early ideation.
More collaborations and visitsShow less
2025
Dagstuhl Seminar 25442, Augmenting Human Creativity with AI, invited participant and co-author of the report.
2025
Aarhus University, visit and talk, with Jonas Frich and Vittoria Frau on designed friction in AI-supported coding classrooms.
2024
University College London Interaction Centre, visiting PhD student with Prof. Yvonne Rogers, using design fiction to study how designers imagine working with agentic AI.
Ongoing
Mindfulness and tangibles, with Thanuja Ratnayake, Wafa Johal and colleagues, on how actuated tangibles support state mindfulness.

Teaching

I teach through doing, reflecting and making work that matters, and I treat creativity as the core of design education. Research and teaching feed each other: I design reflection activities around AI use so students can see what they gain and lose by using it.

Inspiration

Metaphors, provocations and real cases widen the conceptual space before students start producing.

Real stakes

Project work with genuine constraints and audiences, so creative decisions carry accountability.

Student-centred

Reflection, assessment that invites reasoning, and a classroom where uncertainty is welcome.

Studio practice

Studio and flipped classrooms, sketch first, then screens, with card games and design-by-analogy to break creative blocks.

Courses and supervisionShow less

Courses

2026
INFO30005 Advanced Interface Prototyping, Academic tutor (Semester 1), The University of Melbourne.
2023–2026
INFO20005 User Interface Development, Academic tutor (Semester 1: 2023, 2024, 2026), The University of Melbourne.
2023–2025
INFO10003 Fundamentals of Interaction Design, Academic tutor (Semester 2: 2023, 2024, 2025), The University of Melbourne.
2024
INFO90006 Fieldwork for Design, Academic tutor, marking only (Semester 2), The University of Melbourne.
2021–2022
Lecturer (contract, full-time), Department of Information and Communication Technology, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka: Human-Computer Interaction, Immersive Technologies, Digital Marketing and Fundamentals of ICT. Second-year academic coordinator, with cohorts of 150+ students.
2014
Assistant teacher (three months), Holy Cross College, Gampaha, Sri Lanka.

Supervision and mentoring

I currently supervise a group honours thesis and examine honours theses at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura (from September 2026). In 2021 I co-supervised two honours theses there, on virtual reality for acrophobia and on the experience of students using Grade 3 educational websites. I also mentored final-year Media and Communication Design projects at the University of Moratuwa, and I enjoy helping students in Sri Lanka and beyond grow as designers and researchers.

Talks, service and awards

Awards and scholarships

2026
Special recognition for outstanding reviews, ACM Creativity and Cognition 2026.
2025
Special recognition for outstanding reviews, ACM Creativity and Cognition 2025 and CHI 2025 (two).
2024
Third place, FEIT GR Showcase research poster competition. Finalist, FEIT 3 Minute Thesis. Diane Lemaire Scholarship.
2022
Melbourne Research Scholarship. Rowden White Scholarship. Best poster, CIS Doctoral Colloquium.
2019
First class B.Des (Hons), University of Moratuwa, highest OGPA in Media and Communication Design (3.94/4.2). Shortlisted for two outstanding graduand awards.
2017
Sri Lankan student representative, Roger Hatchuel Academy, Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.

Full details are in the CV (PDF).

Talks, service and leadershipShow less

Selected talks and workshops

Aug 2026
Guest lecture, Looking at AI with a Designer's Eye, Department of Integrated Design, University of Moratuwa.
Jul 2026
Organising committee lead, workshop Mapping the Landscape of AI in Design and Creative Education, ACM Creativity and Cognition 2026, London.
Nov 2025
Guest talk, AI-powered Creativity Support Tools in Visual Design, IxD research group, Aarhus University.
Oct 2025
Invited participant, Dagstuhl Seminar 25442, Augmenting Human Creativity with AI.
Jul 2025
3 Minute Thesis, How AI Tools Can Guide or Misguide Design Thinking, FEIT, The University of Melbourne.
Jan 2025
Invited talk and guest lecture on HCI research pathways and generative AI in UX/UI design, University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
Sep 2024
Demo, How can GenAI affect design work?, Cremorne Tech Week Innovation Showcase, Melbourne.

Service and leadership

2025–now
Event co-coordinator, Melbourne ACM SIGCHI Chapter (from December 2025). Social media chair, ACM Creativity and Cognition 2027. Seminar coordinator, HCI Group, The University of Melbourne (2025). Organising committee, OceaniaCHI 2025.
2023–2024
Co-president, Sri Lankan Graduates' Society of the University of Melbourne (media and communications organiser 2022–2023).
2023–2025
Reviewer: CHI (2024–2027), IJHCS 2026, OzCHI 2025, C&C (2025–2026), DIS (2023, 2025), AI & Society 2024, INTERACT 2023. Associate chair, CHI 2023 and CHI 2024 Late-Breaking Work.
2022
Student volunteer, CSCW 2022. Chair, Colombo ACM SIGCHI Chapter (2021–2022).
2021
Judge panel member, BestWeb 2021 (LK Domain Registry).