Oklahoma State University
Architect, researcher, and educator working where the built environment meets digital media: virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and the design process itself.
Tilanka Chandrasekera is the Christine Salmon Endowed Professor in the Department of Design and Merchandising at Oklahoma State University, where he also serves as Associate Department Head, Interior Design Program Coordinator, and Faculty Fellow for Professional Mentoring Initiatives. He is the founder and director of the Mixed Reality Lab, a nationally recognized hub for research and teaching in augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, digital prototyping, and immersive design technologies.
Trained as an Architect, Tilanka holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Architecture from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, with RIBA Parts I and II recognition, and a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri–Columbia, where his research examined tangible user interfaces in architectural design. His professional background includes award-winning work in high-rise, hospitality, wildlife park, and residential design in Sri Lanka, as well as independent architectural practice.
His research, teaching, and outreach sit at the intersection of digital media, artificial intelligence, and design. Through this work, he examines how emerging technologies shape design cognition, creativity, professional practice, and design education. Across his academic and professional roles, Tilanka is committed to preparing students and emerging professionals to engage critically, ethically, and creatively with the technologies transforming the built environment.
Tilanka is also available for speaking engagements, workshops, and consulting related to immersive media, including virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, and artificial intelligence. His work supports academic institutions, design firms, cultural organizations, and industry partners seeking to understand, adopt, or critically integrate emerging technologies into design, education, research, and professional practice.
Tilanka approaches academic leadership the way an architect approaches a site: understand the people and conditions first, then build structures that let them thrive. Over the past decade that has meant building a lab, then building programs, then building the policies and mentoring systems that sustain a research-active department, with a focus on carrying that work forward at the college level.
Secured over $3M in external and internal funding, including NSF and USDA awards, and led complex multi-investigator initiatives with partners spanning NASA, Tribal Nations, and faculty across Educational Technology, Nutritional Sciences, Hospitality, and Fire Safety. Actively mentors junior faculty in grantsmanship and research agenda setting, supporting their external and internal proposal submissions.
As Associate Department Head and Interior Design Program Coordinator since 2023, oversees accreditation readiness, class scheduling, and the Annual Program Report process for a CIDA-accredited program currently ranked #6 in the United States.
Developed the Digital Design graduate program with online, onsite, and accelerated 4+1 pathways, along with graduate and undergraduate certificates, integrating generative AI, conversational AI, and AIoT into design curricula to prepare students with future-ready skills.
Led the strategic revision of the department's Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure documents and Bylaws, streamlining the RPT timeline to align with institutional policy and making the path to advancement clearer and more accessible for faculty.
Founded the PeTe near-peer mentoring program, with published evidence of its impact on academic success, retention, and belonging, and serves as Faculty Fellow for Professional Mentoring Initiatives. Created the PETE industry partnership initiative connecting students with firms such as KKT and Corgan for real-world projects.
"Programs, like buildings, outlast their architects. The measure of leadership is what keeps working after you step away: the funding pipelines, the policies, the people."
Research in digital media and design, with a particular emphasis on virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence, and their transformative potential for design and education.
A quasi-experimental study with 40 design students examining how generative AI tools (text-to-image generators acting as co-creators) affect design ideation. Findings show generative AI significantly enhances design quality while helping manage cognitive load, underscoring its transformative potential in design education.
Protocol analysis of experienced designers reveals convincing evidence that subliminal suggestions can trigger sudden moments of inspiration during architectural design: a window into where design ideas actually come from.
Chandrasekera, T., Vo, N., & D'Souza, N. (2013). Design Studies, 34(2), 193–215.
An empirical investigation of soundscapes as navigational landmarks in virtual environments: how auditory cues contribute to immersion and wayfinding, with implications for the design of physical environments.
Chandrasekera, T., Yoon, S. Y., & D'Souza, N. (2015). Environment and Planning B, 42(6), 1003–1019.
Through the Technology Acceptance Model, this study documents how students in early design studios perceive AR modeling strategies, finding AR models comparable to physical models and the technology easy to use.
Chandrasekera, T. (2014). Design and Technology Education, 19(3).
Investigating how tangible versus graphical user interfaces affect cognitive load during creative design: foundational work connecting embodied interaction with the design process.
Chandrasekera, T., & Yoon, S. Y. (2015). IEEE ISMAR-MASH'D, 6–8.
As a licensed architect in Sri Lanka, Tilanka designed and delivered multi-story commercial and residential complexes, practicing within prominent firms and through his own independent practice, with unique contributions to wildlife parks, zoos, hospitality, and custom housing.
Resident Site Architect for John Keells Holdings: construction administration and quality assurance for a 35-story mixed-use tower.
Project Architect handling tender documentation and contract administration for this commercial-residential complex.
Project Architect from design conceptualization through design drawings.
Project Architect from design conceptualization through design drawings.
Initial design, documentation, and on-site construction management: visitor center, auditorium, quarters, restaurant, and viewing decks.
Visitor facilities, trails, and entrances from initial design through construction administration.
Infrastructure proposal including restaurants with floating decks, shops, visitor center, and entry bridges.
Visitor center, quarters, restaurant, viewing decks, trail, and entrances, with parallel work at Wasgamuwa and Kaudulla.
25 log-cabin chalets with restaurant, entertainment center, and sauna for George Stuart (Pvt) Ltd.
A generic store identity (color, signage, building elements, furniture) deployed across roughly 250 insurance centers.
Classroom, hostel, and administrative buildings envisioned as a sustainable addition to an existing campus.
Houses at Nugegoda, Ambalangoda, Nawala, and Kottawa, including a refurbishment for Sri Lankan actress Geetha Kumarasinghe.
Teaching across three institutions specializing in architecture and interior design, from design studios and digital media to facility management, while coordinating the CIDA-accredited Interior Design program at OSU and bridging academic learning with industry practice.
As a land-grant institution, OSU embodies a mission of community service, advanced here through STEM programs with Tribal Nations, statewide hackathons, and workshops that put immersive technology in more hands. To arrange a workshop on VR/AR, design, or AI, email tilanka@okstate.edu.
NSF-funded afterschool STEM programming for Native American middle-schoolers, using VR, AR, and 3D printing through culturally responsive spatial design activities with the Pawnee Nation, Citizen Potawatomi Nation, and Chickasaw Nation.
A statewide gathering of VR and AR enthusiasts with speakers including Vinay Narayan (HTC Vive) and Cathy Hackl, funded by the OSU Office of the Vice President for Research.
Students build sculptures entirely from canned food; all of it is donated afterward to Our Daily Bread food pantry in Stillwater. Organized with the IFMA student organization.
Intergenerational workshops hosted by the Mixed Reality Lab since 2015, where OSU alumni bring their grandchildren to campus for hands-on making.
Workshops for 4-H Roundup, middle and high school visits, and public sessions introducing digital design and immersive technologies to broader audiences.
With over 20 years of experience, Tilanka offers tailored consulting that integrates cutting-edge technology with evidence-based design strategy, for firms ready to work differently. Get in touch to discuss your project.
Incorporating virtual and augmented reality into design processes, from concept visualization to client presentations and immersive walkthroughs, with workflows that enhance collaboration and decision-making.
Generative design, predictive analytics, and automated ideation tools tailored for design firms, leveraging AI to streamline operations and drive innovation.
Evidence-based design approaches that ensure every decision is informed by rigorous research and user-centered data, blending creativity with scientific precision.
Setting up state-of-the-art labs equipped with psychophysiological tools (fNIRS, ECG, eye-tracking, EDA) for in-depth analysis of how people experience designed space.
Designing and implementing custom immersive applications specific to your firm's needs, transforming visualization, client engagement, and design iteration.
Incorporating measures of cognitive load, emotional response, and physiological data into the design process, optimizing designs for comfort, efficiency, and satisfaction.
On stage · Keynotes, seminars & invited lectures across four continents
Talks that translate two decades of research and practice into what design, education, and industry can do next with immersive media and AI.