I am pleased to report my recent distinguished lecturer tour in an exotic, tropical island in South Asia. The tour took place in the beautiful island of Sri Lanka, also known as the “Teardrop of India”, in August 2025. It involved two lectures and a panel discussion at two venues in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. The talks and panel generated interesting questions, inspiring conversations and interactions. I also explored collaboration opportunities with peer researchers. In addition, I had the opportunity to explore parts of the beautiful city of Jaffna and catch a glimpse of the executive and judicial capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo.

In my ComSoc DLT tour, I delivered two talks and a panel scheduled as follows:

1. Talk one at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Jaffna, Ariviyal Nagar Campus, hosted by the IEEE ComSoc Student Chapter, Aug. 12th, 2025.

2. Talk two at the Jaffna Thiruvalluvar Cultural Center, hosted by the IEEE Jaffna Student Branch, Aug. 13th, 2025.

3. Panel entitled: “The Future of Communications: The Promises and Pitfalls of AI” and hosted by the University of Jaffna, Aug. 13th, 2025.

The focus of the talks was on key emerging technologies and applications of 5G wireless, including federated learning and AI for digital health, with a particular focus on the applications of federated and deep learning for heart monitoring and disease prediction. In the talks, I provided an overview of research trends, recent results, and future research directions.

It was thrilling that the talks and panel were well-attended by faculty members, peer researchers, and graduate as well as undergraduate students. The talks were followed by discussions on research challenges, communication, and advances in networking technology. For instance, the growing role of AI and machine learning in addressing societal challenges, such as health, and the development of green wireless networks, sparked interesting discussions and insightful questions among the students.

In addition to the talks and fruitful academic exchanges, I had the chance to experience the rich history, culture, biodiversity, and delicious food of the island of Sri Lanka, nicknamed the “Teardrop of India”. This name stems from the island’s distinctive, tear-like shape and its location just off the southern coast of India. This was my second visit to South Asia, and my first to Sri Lanka.

I arrived in Colombo, the capital and largest city located on the island’s west coast. I then took an enjoyable eight-hour scenic road trip from Colombo to the northern province, which hosted my DL tour, particularly the beautiful city of Jaffna. During the road trip, we passed through multiple towns and villages, gaining a sense of the culture and sampling exotic tropical fruits sold by farmers along the roadside, ranging from coconuts and durians (the king of fruits) to rambutan, papayas, and tropical bananas.

On the last day of my tour, I visited the nearby vibrant Jaffna Market area, which was bustling with shoppers, tuk-tuks, and more. This market is renowned for selling traditional clothing, spices, and fresh fruits. Red Chili is a key ingredient in Sri Lankan cuisine, adding both flavor and nutritional value to the food.

My DLT experience in Sri Lanka was both memorable on a personal level and a successful professional networking experience. I had the opportunity to meet and interact with interested students and young researchers, driven by their energy and enthusiasm for innovating and making an impact. It was not only about sharing my research work and engaging in academic exchange, but also a unique chance to connect firsthand with researchers in Sri Lanka, learn about their research priorities, technology challenges, and opportunities in this part of the world, as well as the culture and rich heritage. I highly recommend the ComSoc Distinguished Lecturer (DL) program to colleagues interested in expanding their research networks on the international level. I encourage researchers to apply to the ComSoc DL program, which is likely to have a positive impact on their career path and growth. With our collective efforts, ComSoc, the academic and industry communities, we can showcase our research findings, learn about new initiatives, exchange ideas, and collaborate for the good of society.

My DL tour in Sri Lanka provided ample opportunities for me to network with peer researchers and students, sparking inspiring discussions on research, as well as food, history, cultural heritage, and diversity in the vibrant region of South Asia. In fact, the networking and social gatherings during the tour led to further discussions about the vital role IEEE plays in creating opportunities and building bridges across different cultures and parts of the world, identifying synergies and discussing potential collaboration opportunities.