Yasantha Rajakarunanayake
{{short description|American-Sri Lankan mathematician, technologist, researcher and data scientist}}
{{Notability|1=Biographies|date=June 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Yasantha Rajakarunanayake
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Colombo District, Sri Lanka
| nationality = Sri Lanka
USA
| education = St Peter's College, Colombo, Royal College, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| alma_mater = Princeton University (BS)
California Institute of Technology (PhD)
| occupation = mathematician, technologist, professor, researcher and data scientist
|fields = Electronic Engineering
| workplaces = MediaTek
| children = 2 {{cn|date=August 2024}}
}}
Yasantha Rajakarunanayake is a Sri Lankan–American physicist, computer scientist, researcher, professor, and data scientist. He is best known for befriending future Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, a classmate at Princeton University. He received social media fame and attention for having assisted Bezos on a homework assignment by solving a mathematical problem.{{Cite web |last=Mihindukulasuriya |first=Regina |date=20 September 2018 |title=The Sri Lankan who solved a maths problem for Jeff Bezos & gave the world Amazon |url=https://theprint.in/economy/the-sri-lankan-who-solved-a-maths-problem-for-jeff-bezos-gave-the-world-amazon/121706/ |access-date=17 June 2024 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |date=10 February 2020 |title=How a maths problem changed the world's richest man's life forever |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/gadgets-news/how-a-maths-problem-changed-the-worlds-richest-mans-life-forever/articleshow/74060117.cms |access-date=17 June 2024 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFnV6EM-wzY |title=Cosine: The exact moment Jeff Bezos decided not to become a physicist |date=16 September 2018 |last=Tidefall Capital |access-date=17 June 2024 |via=YouTube}}
Biography
Yasantha grew up in Ratmalana, Colombo. His mother, Ethel Rajakarunanayake, served as a school teacher at St. Mary's College in Dehiwala. His father, Hilary Rajakarunanayake, served as an accountant in the Middle East. His father also spent a short stint working at Daily News as its Deputy Editor before his retirement.{{Cite web |title=Dr. Yasantha Rajakarunanayake: "the smartest guy at Princeton" - Life Online |url=https://www.life.lk/article/interviews/Dr--Yasantha-Rajakarunanayake:-%E2%80%9Cthe-smartest-guy-at-Princeton%E2%80%9D/52/18234 |access-date=17 June 2024 |website=life.lk |language=en}} He attended the Royal College in Colombo and excelled in his academic studies. Notably, he was a batch topper at his school and he managed to receive the highest marks in the GCE Advanced Level Examination in the Combined Mathematics stream by obtaining satisfactory results of 4A's. Yasantha suffered from asthma since childhood. His father advised him to find a well maintained air conditioned office so that he does not have to breathe dusty air while working. He took his father's advice seriously and focused on making a career in IT.
Career
Yasantha initially pursued his higher education at the University of Moratuwa in the field of electronic engineering. He eventually received a scholarship offer to attend Princeton University and left Sri Lanka in 1982 to pursue his remaining undergraduate education at Princeton. At this time, he coincidentally met Bezos, who later went on to found Amazon.com. Bezos called him the "smartest guy at Princeton". On 13 September 2018, during a talk at The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., Bezos heaped praise on Yasantha.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv_vkA0jsyo |title=Jeff Bezos At The Economic Club Of Washington (9/13/18) |date=13 September 2018 |last=CNBC |access-date=17 June 2024 |via=YouTube}}
Bezos, during the talk, related that Yasantha had easily solved a mathematical problem that Bezos and his roommate could not solve. This led Bezos to give up on becoming a theoretical physicist.{{Cite web |title=The seeds of my success were sown in early childhood. {{!}} UNICEF Sri Lanka |url=https://www.unicef.org/srilanka/stories/seeds-my-success-were-sown-early-childhood |access-date=17 June 2024 |website=www.unicef.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Wolfe |first=Sean |title=Watch Jeff Bezos tell the funny story about the moment in college he realized he 'was never going to be a great theoretical physicist' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-moment-in-college-he-realized-would-not-be-theoretical-physicist-2018-9 |access-date=17 June 2024 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=24 September 2018 |title=Jeff Bezos wanted to be a physicist, but started Amazon after a friend showed him he wasn't smart enough |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/jeff-bezos-wanted-to-be-a-physicist-but-started-amazon-after-a-friend-showed-him-he-wasn-t-smart-enough-1347637-2018-09-24 |access-date=17 June 2024 |website=India Today |language=en}} Bezos and Yasantha, though, did not maintain a close connection after they left Princeton.{{Cite web |title=Lankan who solved maths problem for Jeff Bezos and gave world Amazon {{!}} Daily FT |url=https://www.ft.lk/front-page/Lankan-who-solved-maths-problem-for-Jeff-Bezos-and-gave-world-Amazon/44-663275 |access-date=17 June 2024 |website=ft.lk |language=en}} Soon after Bezos had mentioned Yasantha's name in the September talk, people apparently went to search about him in the internet and several of them even sent emails and text messages to reach out to Yasantha, who revealed that most of the mail messages from anonymous persons repeatedly asked whether "Are you Jeff Bezos' Yoshanta’?" He confirmed that he received spam emails in his LinkedIn inbox, as he initially had cast doubts and suspicions about whether someone had hacked his email.
After he completed his undergraduate studies as an Electrical Engineering and Computer Science major in 1985, he obtained his PhD in the field of Applied Physics at California Institute of Technology. He worked for few years as a university professor in Physics and established his reputation with over 50 technical publications before switching his career trajectory into internet technology in 1995 after becoming aware of the potential of Broadband internet. He worked as a senior technologist and scientist with experience spanning three decades. As of August 2019, he reportedly had 94 US patent applications for his inventions which also included pending applications prior to approval. He created several innovative applications and artificial intelligence algorithm designs for human presence and gesture detection with mmWave radar systems.{{Cite web |title=SLF Int USA, Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Dr Yasantha Rajakarunanayaka For his Excellence as a Technologist, Scientist and Innovator {{!}} Sri Lanka Foundation |url=https://www.srilankafoundation.org/newsfeed/slf-int-usa-lifetime-achievement-award-winner-dr-yasantha-rajakarunanayaka-for-his-excellence-as-a-technologist-scientist-and-innovator/ |access-date=17 June 2024 |website=www.srilankafoundation.org}} He developed and designed systems algorithms that could leverage AI in novel MedTech and medical imaging applications. He successfully implemented and improved techniques and methodologies that could improvise and enhance medical diagnosis.{{Cite web |title=Dr. Yasantha Rajakarunanayake, Ph.D. {{!}} Sri Lanka Foundation |url=https://www.srilankafoundation.org/walloffame/dr-yasantha-rajakarunanayake-ph-d/ |access-date=17 June 2024 |website=srilankafoundation.org}}
References
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Category:Princeton University alumni
Category:California Institute of Technology alumni
Category:Alumni of Royal College, Colombo
Category:Sri Lankan scientists
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)