Lecturer
Lighting Research Center
518-276-4066

Doctor of Philosophy in Architectural Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Master of Science in Lighting, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University; Bachelor of Science in Engineering, University of Moratuwa (Sri Lanka)

Indika U. Perera holds a Ph.D. in architectural sciences with a concentration in lighting from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an M.S. in lighting from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and an M.S. in mechanical engineering from Purdue University. Dr. Perera earned his B.S. in engineering from the University of Moratuwa (Sri Lanka) in 2004.

Dr. Perera is currently involved in teaching initiatives at the Lighting Research Center (LRC) and School of Architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and is a member of the teaching faculty at the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering School of Engineering at RPI.

Indika Perera also works as a research scientist with the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Perera’s research has spanned the range from packaged LED architecture and materials to SSL system design, including thermal management and optical design. He has expertise in the thermal management of LED lighting systems and phosphor and down-conversion materials used in LED packages, including developing a mathematical model for predicting the temperature distribution in an LED phosphor layer.

Much of Perera’s most recent work has been in additive manufacturing, using 3-D printers to create custom heat sinks and optical components, and further analyzing models that can predict the reliability and performance of systems that utilize such components.

He was also awarded the National Development Bank Award for the Best Mechanical Engineering Candidate for 2003/2004, the Robert J. Besal Fund Scholarship in 2012, the Rensselaer’s Founders Award of Excellence in 2012, the Architectural Research Centers Consortium’s King Student Medal in 2014, the Joules Horton International Student Achievement Award in 2014, the IESNYC Thesis Prize awarded by the Illuminating Engineering Society, New York City Section in 2016, ARCC Dissertation Award Honorable Mention awarded by the Architectural Research Centers Consortium in 2017, and nominated by LEDs Magazine 40 Under 40 Profile in 2020.