Chanaka received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka in 2017. He joined the Maryland Power Electronics Laboratory in 2018, and is currently working towards the Ph. D. degree in electrical engineering. He was a summer intern at Rivian Automotive Inc. in 2020 and 2021 where he worked with the Electric Power Conversion team. Additionally, he is a mentor for the Formula SAE EV team of University of Maryland.

His research interests include design, modeling, optimization and control of high-efficiency, high power density, wide bandgap based multiport power converters, high frequency multiport magnetics and electromagnetic compliance of power converters. He has been actively involved in power converter development for energy routers in smart homes, electric vehicles and solar energy applications.