Selvarajah Mohanarajah

Chair and Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science
selvarajah_mohanarajah headshot

Dr. Mohan is a professor of Computer Science and currently serves as the Chair of UNCP's Mathematics and Computer Science department. He earned his PhD in Computer Science from Massey University in New Zealand. Link to CV

His current research is focused on the areas of Equity and Privacy in ML Systems, CS Education and AI in Education. Mohan is working on Container-Based Learning Objects and educational games for teaching programming languages and has supervised many M.Sc. research projects and undergraduate honors research projects. A sampling of research projects includes:

  • VIVA-AI: An AI-Assisted Assessment Verification Framework for Learning Management Systems

  • Equitable Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning Algorithms

  • Towards Self-contained Learning Objects on Cyber Security 

  • Opening Gaming Logic for Teaching CS1

  • IDS in SDN- Fuzzy Logic-Based Approach

  • Self-Service Password Reset- Using Mobile Phone's Camera Fingerprint

  • Adaptanel Feedback for MCQs

  • Intrusion Detection in Medical Networks

  • Trust Management in MANET- A Bayesian Logic Based Approach

Mohan has been teaching CS courses for more than 25 years, and recently taught Intro to Cyber Security, Web Programming & Security, Artificial Intelligence, Object Oriented Programming, Digital Logic, Fundamentals of Computing, Capstone Project, Database Management, Web Security, Software Security, Theory of Computing, and Advanced Software Engineering.

Other courses he has led include Software Engineering and Advanced Software Engineering (Masters), Computer Architecture and Advanced Computer Architecture (M.Sc), Computer Graphics, Programming Languages, Operating Systems, Algorithms, Data Structures, Cryptography, System Analysis and Design, Database Management Systems, Human Computer Interaction, Logic Programming, Electronic Commerce and IT Project Management.

Select Publications

  • Mohanarajah, S, Valente, P, Medina, A. “Privacy Preserving Equitable Machine Learning Systems- A Survey (abstract): Pembroke Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium, Pembroke, USA,  2024
  • Mohanarajah, S, Sritharan, T. “Shoot2Learn: Fix-and-Play Educational Game for Learning Programming Enhancing Student Engagement by Mixing Game Playing and Game Programming” JITE Research, Volume 21  •  2022  •  pp. 639-661, USA, 2022
  • Mohanarajah, S, Ross, G, S. Suthaharan. “Towards Encapsulated Cyber Security Labs: A Container-Based Approach”  ACMSIGCSE-2019, Minneapolis, USA
  • Mohanarajah, S. Increasing intrinsic motivation of programming students. Towards fix-and-play educational games. Journal of Issues in Information Science and Information Technology (IISIT), Volume 15, pg. 69-77, Informing Science Press, CA, USA, 2018.
  • Presentation: not peer-reviewed: Mohanarajah, S., Ross, G. “Enhancing Intrusion Detection Algorithms in Software Defined Networking: Towards A Fuzzy Logic Based Approach” Presented at the 8th International Scientific Forum- ISF 2017, Pembroke, NC, USA.
  • Stephanie Wyche, Selvarajah Mohanarajah, Ramaier Sriram. “Providing a Stronger Defense in Biomedical Wireless Sensor Networks” Consortium of Computer Sciences in Colleges (Poster Paper): CCSC-SE-2016: Ashville, NC, USA
  • Xiaohong Yuan, Kenneth Williams, Kelvin Bryant, Jinsheng Xu, Albert Esterline, Scott McCrickard, Anyi Liu, Charles Hardnett, Selvarajah Mohanarajah, Litany Lineberry, Rachel Rutledge Teaching mobile computing and mobile security, October. Erie, PA, Frontiers in Education: FIE- 2016 (IEEE)
  • Mohanarajah Selvarajah, Sritharan Thambithurai “ Teaching Formal Methods using Scaffolding: A Semi-automated Translation Process from UML Classes to Schemas” Journal of Science- EUSL, Sri Lanka 2015
  • Mohanarajah, S., Tedeschi, R. (2013). Towards a Casual Computer Game for Learning Algorithm Design.  SALT(2013), Orlando, FL, USA.(not peer-reviewed)
  • Mohanarajah, S., Betton, S., Ikeokwu, F. & Sundaralingam, N. (2010). Towards Intelligent Test Sequencing, Enhancing Multiple Choice (MC) Tests in eLearning. In J. Sanchez & K. Zhang (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2010 (pp. 554-559). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
  • Mohanarajah, S., R. Kemp, and E. Kemp. (2006). Adaptable Scaffolding - A Fuzzy Approach. LNCS 4053 - Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS' 6). M. Ikeda, K. Ashley, and T. W. Chan. Berlin, Springer-Verlag: 604-614.
  • Mohanarajah, S., R. H. Kemp, and E. Kemp. ‘Opening a Fuzzy Learner Model’, Proceedings of the Workshop (LEMORE) at the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education 2005 (AIED’05), Amsterdam, Netherlands.
  • Mohanarajah, S., R. H. Kemp, E. Kemp, and E. Heinritch. ‘Unfold the scaffold & Externalizing Learner Models”, World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia, and Telecommunications 2005 (ED-MEDIA’05), Montreal, Canada.
  • S.Mohanarajah, S., R. H. Kemp, and E. Kemp.  ‘Towards an Interactive Learning Environment for Object-Z’. Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Science and IT Education 2004 (InSITE’04),  Rockhampton, Australia (Best Paper Award)