Email: suranga.perera@stmarys.ac.uk
Biography
Suranga is Associate Head of School (Partnerships) and Senior Lecturer in Digital Analytics and Digital Business at St Mary’s University’s School of Business and Law. He teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, combining academic theory with practical applications to create engaging, student-centred learning experiences.
He holds a PGCE from University College London, a BA (Hons), and an MSc in Business Management from the University of Essex. His teaching encourages students to think critically about how data, digital technologies and artificial intelligence shape organisations, business decisions and society.
In his partnerships role, Suranga leads the development and oversight of UK and international academic collaborations. His work supports sustainable partnership growth while maintaining academic standards, quality assurance and a consistent student experience across partner institutions.
Suranga brings over 10 years of entrepreneurial and commercial experience from the luxury travel sector, including developing business opportunities, understanding customer needs and building relationships in international markets. This experience informs his approach to teaching and partnership development, bringing an applied perspective on innovation, enterprise and the challenges of managing and growing a business.
His research interests centre on artificial intelligence and its relationship with human cognition, particularly how AI influences thinking, learning, creativity and decision-making. He is particularly interested in how interactions with AI shape human cognition, including their implications for critical thinking, independent judgement and the development of human capabilities.