Dr Kumar Mithraratne
BSc(Eng) Moratuwa, MSc Dist. Lond., PhD NU Singapore
Biography
Kumar graduated with a Bachelor of Science of Engineeering in Chemical Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. He received a Master of Science with Distinction from the University of London (King's College London) and a PhD from the National University of Singapore, both in Mechanical Engineering.
Kumar is a recipient of the British Government Technical Corporation fellowship and a University of Auckland Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Kumar joined the Auckland Bioengineering Institute in 2000 is now a Principal Investigator.
Research | Current
Kumar is currently working on musculoskeletal system biomechanics and facial animation using biophysically-based models.
His primary research interests are:
soft tissue continuum mechanics,
joint mechanics,
finite element analysis,
gait analysis and flow mechanics.
Research Group
Grants and Consultancy work
- 2013 - 2017 "Architectured Material"
Role: UoA Consultant/PI and Collaborator
Value: NZD 178,856 (Total grant value NZD 3,000,000 to Callaghan Innovation NZ from Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, New Zealand
Funding agency: Callaghan Innovation NZ/inistry of Business, Innovation and Employment, New Zealand. - 2013 - 2014 "Biomechanical Modelling to Explain Tophus Formation and Bone Erosion in Gout"
Role: Co-investigator
Grant value: NZD 117,300
Funding agency: Auckland Medical Research Foundation, New Zealand. - 2013 - 2014 "Bi-planar Fluroscopic Imaging of the Shoulder Complex"
Role: Principal Investigator
Grant value: NZD 12,500
Funding agency: Faculty Research Development Fund, University of Auckland, New Zealand. - 2013 - 2014 "Fast Fracture"
Role: Co-investigator
Grant value: NZD 1,000,000
Funding agency: Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, New Zealand. - 2011 - 2014 "Expressive Heads and Hands"
Role: Principal Investigator
Grant value: NZD 1,500,000
Funding agency: Ministry of Science and Innovation, New Zealand. - 2007 - 2010 "Biomechanics for Animation"
Role: Principal Investigator
Grant value: NZD 1,000,000
Funding agency: Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, New Zealand.
Teaching | Current
ENGSCI772 Whole Organ Modelling (2005 - 2013)
Postgraduate supervision
Current
PhD
Hooman Zarreh, Fracture Mechanics
Nalaka Samaraweera, Phonon-Governed Heat Conduction in Nanostructures
Elias Soltani, Modelling Thermoregulation of the Human Body
Yunru Ma (with Dr Yanxin Zhang ,Department of Exercise Sciences), Using Biomechanical simulation to predict treatment outcomes of cerebral palsy patients with equinus gait
Completed
PhD
Ted Yeung (2016), Inverse Kinematics of the Shoulder Complex
Massoud Alipour (2015), An Anatomically accurate Finite Element of Skeletal Muscle for Improved Characterisation of Muscle Deformation
Desney Greybe (2015), Forearm Mechanics and Its Implication on the Distal Radioulnar Joint
Tim Wu (2013), A Computational Framework for Modelling the Biomechanics of Human Facial Expressions
Alice Hung (2012), An Anatomically-based Biomechanics Model of the Face for Simulating Facial Expressions
- Katja Oberhofer (2010), Anatomically-based, Subject-specific modelling of Lower Limb Motion During Gait
ME
- Wencke Hansen (2011), Three-dimensional Model of Tibio-Femoral Articulation
Jongeun Son (2010), Blood Flow Modelling in Deforming Skeletal Muscle
- Sarah Cox (2007), Computational Ergonomics: An Anatomically-based Finite Element Model of the Lower Limbs in the Seated Posture
Distinctions/Honours
- Top 100 Research Revenue Earner of the University of Auckland 2015
- Top 100 Research Revenue Earner of the University of Auckland 2014
Responsibilities
Principal Investigator
Areas of expertise
- Joint mechanics (upper limb kinematics involving shoulder complex, forearm and hand and lower limb involving gait analysis, foot and knee),
- Finite and linear deformation analysis of biological and engineering structures,
- Application of engineering principles to predict facial expressions using anatomically realistic and physically accurate mathematical models,
- Computational fluid mechanics (dynamic flow modelling in circulatory system including cutaneous blood flow),
- Finite element analysis
- Finite difference methods
- Mesh based particle methods (arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian)
- Heat Transfer, thermal modelling of buildings and refrigeration and air-conditioning
- Computational software development (CMISS and OpenCMISS)
Selected publications and creative works (Research Outputs)
- Ma, Y., Mithraratne, K., Wilson, N. C., Wang, X., Ma, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2019). The Validity and Reliability of a Kinect v2-Based Gait Analysis System for Children with Cerebral Palsy. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 19 (7).10.3390/s19071660
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Yunru Ma, Nichola Wilson, Yanxin Zhang - Oberhofer, K., Lorenzetti, S., & Mithraratne, K. (2019). Host Mesh Fitting of a Generic Musculoskeletal Model of the Lower Limbs to Subject-Specific Body Surface Data: A Validation Study. Applied bionics and biomechanics, 201910.1155/2019/8381351
- Samaraweera, N., Larkin, J. M., Chan, K. L., & Mithraratne, K. (2018). Reduced thermal conductivity of Si/Ge random layer nanowires: A comparative study against superlattice counterparts. Journal of Applied Physics, 123 (24), 244303-244303. 10.1063/1.5030711
- Alipour, M., Mithraratne, K., Herbert, R. D., & Fernandez, J. (2018). A finite element muscle building block derived from 3D ultrasound: application to the human gastrocnemius. Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering: Imaging& Visualization, 1-8. 10.1080/21681163.2018.1488222
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Justin Fernandez - Samaraweera, N., Larkin, J. M., Chan, K. L., & Mithraratne, K. (2018). Modal analysis of the thermal conductivity of nanowires: examining unique thermal transport features. Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal, 30 (22)10.1088/1361-648x/aabe54
- Samaraweera, N., Chan, K. L., & Mithraratne, K. (2018). Reduced thermal conductivity of nanotwinned random layer structures: a promising nanostructuring towards efficient Si and Si/Ge thermoelectric materials. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 51 (20), 204006-204006. 10.1088/1361-6463/aaba9d
- Fernandez, J., Mithraratne, K., Alipour, M., Handsfield, G., Besier, T., & Zhang, J. (2018). Towards rapid prediction of personalised muscle mechanics: integration with diffusion tensor imaging. Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering: Imaging and Visualization10.1080/21681163.2018.1519850
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Geoffrey Handsfield, Justin Fernandez, Massoud Alipour, Thor Besier, Ju Zhang - Ho, L. C. Y., Klaassen, M. F., & Mithraratne, K. (2017). The Congruent facelift: A three-dimensional view. 10.1007/978-3-319-69090-2
Identifiers
Contact details
- +64 9 923 3011
- +64.9.923.3011
- p.mithraratne@auckland.ac.nz
- Media Contact
Primary office location
UNISERVICES HOUSE - Bldg 439
70 SYMONDS ST
AUCKLAND 1010
New Zealand