Biography
Doctoral researcher in digital inclusion, examining the role of digital technologies in the empowerment of disadvantaged communities. Utilizes action design research to co‑design interventions in collaboration with stakeholders, alongside interpretive qualitative case studies to analyze how community organizations operate as social infomediaries. Marian has also taught undergraduate courses, including lecturing and coordinating INFS2701:...view more
Doctoral researcher in digital inclusion, examining the role of digital technologies in the empowerment of disadvantaged communities. Utilizes action design research to co‑design interventions in collaboration with stakeholders, alongside interpretive qualitative case studies to analyze how community organizations operate as social infomediaries. Marian has also taught undergraduate courses, including lecturing and coordinating INFS2701: Managing Cyber Security in the Digital Age. She also serves as the President of the AIS Student Chapter at UNSW.
Marian has a multi-disciplinary background, being a member of CPA Australia and a Chartered Accountant. She holds a Master's degree in Pre-Doctoral Business Studies from the University of New South Wales- School of Management and Governance, a Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Colombo, and a Bachelor's degree in Business Economics from the University of Colombo.
Before starting her PhD at UNSW Business School, Marian had more than a decade of industry experience as a Vice President at the largest conglomerate in Sri Lanka. She held the positions of Chief Bancassurance Officer, Vice President of Finance, and Head of Digital Sales in the insurance, hotels and resorts, travel, and tourism industries. Marian is also a champion of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and has pioneered several initiatives to empower women. She has received several awards, including the Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana Award for Women Professionals, the Young Executive of The Year award at the 7th Asia Trusted Life Agents and Advisers Awards, the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Award, and the Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (Sylff) award.
My Grants
2024 - 2026 Chief Investigator. Koneksi Australia-Indonesia Digital Transformation Collaborative Research Grant. $350,000
2025 Western Sydney Connect ImpactMaker - UNSW Business School. $10,000
2025 - 2026 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Research Grant - UNSW Business School. $4,000
My Qualifications
- Master of Pre-Doctoral Business Studies (Business School), UNSW Sydney, Australia
- Master of Business Administration (Faculty of Management and Finance) First Class Honours, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Bachelor of Business Administration (Faculty of Management and Finance - Sp. Business Economics ) First Class Honours, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
My Awards
2026 - UNSW 3 Minute Thesis Finalist - "Breaking the silence: Designing disease reporting systems farmers actually want to use"
2025 - Best Short Paper in Honor of T. P. Liang, 1st Runner- Up – “Designing a Voluntary Disease Reporting System (DRMS) for Artisanal Farmers” in the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS)
2025 - Dean's Award- Friend of ADA (Arts, Design & Architecture), UNSW Business School - AI in Business & Society specialization
My Research Activities
Cooray, Marian Vindya; Sandeep, M.S.; Pan, Shan; Ritchi, Hamzah; Puspita, Rora; Khan, Alexander; and Andoyo, Robi, "Designing a Voluntary Disease Reporting System (VDRS) For Artisanal Farmers" (2025). ICIS 2025 Proceedings. 9.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2025/sustain/sustain/9
Cooray, Marian Vindya; Pan, Shan; and Sandeep, M.S., "Leveraging Historical Data for Social Good: An Imprinting Study of Climate Analytics" (2024). PACIS 2024 Proceedings. 4. https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2024/track18_sustain/track18_sustain/4
Cooray, P . L. V. K. M., Perera, H. and Peiris, T. S. I. “Understanding the Workplace Climate for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Questioning Employees in Sri Lanka” (2022). European Academy of Management Research Conference 2022, Switzerland.
My Teaching
Lecturer- in- charge, INFS2701: Managing Cyber Security in the Digital Age (Undergraduate), School of Information Systems & Technology Management - UNSW, Sydney
Tutor, INFS3700: UX & IT Service Design (Undergraduate), School of Information Systems & Technology Management - UNSW, Sydney
Tutor, INFS5700: Introduction to Business Analytics (Postgraduate), School of Information Systems & Technology Management - UNSW, Sydney
Tutor, MGMT 2718/ 5907: Human Resource Management (Undergraduate & Postgraduate), School of Management & Governance - UNSW, Sydney
Location
Contact
ORCID as entered in ROS
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8381-8309