Rachel Cooray
Applies AI to real business problems.
Based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Analyst for Data and AI at OCTAVE, the advanced analytics arm of John Keells Holdings. Published AI researcher (IEEE). Technical co-founder of Layer1 Studio. First Class Honours BSc Computer Science, University of Westminster.
Research
PCOS Care: A Machine Learning-Based Web Application for Early Risk Prediction of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
IEEE ICAHS 2025, Tunisia
Selected for the MSIT Journal special edition, 2026.
Education
BSc (Hons) Computer Science
Sep 2022 - Jul 2025University of Westminster, United Kingdom (started at IIT, Sri Lanka)
Grade: First Class Honours, specialized in Data Science
- Scholarship: UOW/IIT School of Computing and Engineering Scholarship (2024/25).
- Awards: 3rd Best Research Project at University Showcase, IEEE ICAHS 2025 Conference Publication in Tunisia.
- Membership Activities: Rotaract Club, IEEE Club, Sri Lankan Society.
Certificate in Business Accounting (CIMA)
Aug 2024CIMA, United Kingdom
Financial & Management Accounting
- Covered Economics, Management and Financial Accounting.
- Business Law and Corporate Governance.
Primary & Secondary Education
Jan 2008 - Feb 2022St. Bridget's Convent, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka
Head Prefect (2020) | GCE O/L | GCE A/L
- GCE A/L Examination (2021): Chemistry - A, Combined Mathematics - B, Physics - B.
- GCE O/L Examination (2018): 9 Distinctions (A Grade).
- Leadership and Activities: School Head Prefect (2020), Swimming Team, Interact Club.
Experience
OCTAVE — John Keells Group
Analyst, Data and AI
Jul 2026 - PresentColombo, Sri Lanka · On-site
Analytics Delivery Associate
Apr 2026 - Jun 2026Colombo, Sri Lanka · On-site
- Progressed from the Data Science & Analytics Delivery Intern role into an associate position within the same analytics delivery team.
Data Science & Analytics Delivery Intern
Oct 2025 - Apr 2026Colombo, Sri Lanka · On-site
- Optimized distributor performance by identifying underperformers and high-potential distributors, designed KPI-driven incentive structures that increased potential margins by 68% for an FMCG company.
- Ran advanced margin and sales-incentive simulations, uncovering actionable strategies to recapture lost sales in flood-affected outlets.
- Developed interactive Power BI dashboards for management, enabling real-time tracking of targets, achievements, and distributor performance.
Analytics Delivery Intern
Mar 2023 - May 2023Colombo, Sri Lanka · On-site
- Built Power BI dashboards for stakeholders to visualize sales performance and route efficiency.
- Conducted field observations and proposed improvements, enabling effective rollout of new processes.
Data Science Intern
Mar 2022 - Jun 2022Colombo, Sri Lanka · Remote
- Assisted in data collection, cleaning, and analysis, ensuring accuracy and reliability of datasets.
- Supported statistical and machine learning model development for data-driven research projects.
- Contributed to projects including a Hotel Customer Analysis and a CSR initiative for street vendors.
Layer1 Studio
Co-founder & Fullstack Developer
Dec 2025 - PresentRemote · Web & Mobile Development for SMEs & Startups
- Developing custom web and mobile applications for diverse clients using Flutter, React, and Node.js.
- Delivering end-to-end solutions, from UI/UX design to backend integration and deployment.
- Providing digital strategy consulting and optimizing existing codebases for performance and scalability.
Other experience
Customer Advisor
Aug 2025 - Oct 2025UNIQLO
Visual merchandising and customer service in a high-paced retail environment.
Customer Service Associate
Jan 2025 - Aug 2025EG On The Move (Petrogas)
Customer service and point-of-sale operations.
Retail Associate — Christmas Temp
Nov 2024 - Jan 2025TK Maxx
Customer service, stock management and merchandising.
Projects
PCOS Care
Lead Developer & Researcher
Machine learning-based PCOS risk prediction web app. Feature selection (Chi-Square, ANOVA), SMOTE, and dual-model prediction, reaching 93.75% recall with an enhanced Random Forest model. Built end-to-end with Python, Flask and Streamlit, deployed and user tested.
Python · Machine Learning · Flask · Streamlit · Render
View project →GenAI Chatbot for Neurodiversity Support
AI Engineer, Microsoft EMBRACE Hackathon
AI-powered chatbot prototype built at the Microsoft EMBRACE Employee Resource Group hackathon, to guide and support individuals and caregivers newly diagnosed with neurodiverse conditions. Finalist entry, built with a small cross-functional team under hackathon time constraints.
Generative AI · Conversational Design · Prototyping
Carbon Footprint Tracker
Data Analyst & UI Designer
Carbon footprint calculation and visualization tool that estimates environmental impact from activity-based emissions factors, with interactive dashboards and automated reduction recommendations.
Python · Flutter · Serverpod · Data Analysis · Visualization
View project →
CV Writing Assistant
Frontend Developer & AI Engineer
AI-powered CV analysis tool that extracts text from PDFs and uses Google's Gemini models to give recruiter-style feedback. Client-side PDF processing, a prompt-engineered senior-recruiter persona.
React · Vite · Gemini API · PDF.js · Tailwind CSS
View project →
CIMA AI Study Assistant
Full Stack Developer & AI Engineer
Generative AI study assistant for CIMA Operational Level exams. Custom RAG pipeline on Gemini 2.0 Flash, strict syllabus adherence, dual study modes, subject locking, Node.js/Express backend, React/Tailwind frontend.
React · Node.js · Google Gemini API · LangChain · Tailwind CSS
View project →
Futsal Team Recommendation
Mobile App Developer
Collaborative and content-based filtering recommendation system. Flutter app matching players to teams by skill, availability and location, with centralized stadium booking.
Flutter · Node · Flask · Machine Learning · Recommendation Systems
CSR Analytics Project — Street Vendors
Field Researcher & Analyst
Field survey of 16 street food vendors, uncovering hygiene gaps and operational inefficiencies. Data-driven interventions adopted by the CSR team.
Data Collection · Data Analytics · Field Research · CSR
Fantasy Coin Collector
Game Developer & Creative Technologist
2D dungeon crawler built from scratch with HTML5 Canvas and vanilla JavaScript — custom physics engine, procedural map generation, particle system, Web Audio API sound, LocalStorage progression.
HTML5 Canvas · Vanilla JavaScript · Web Audio API · Procedural Generation
View project →Skills
Programming Languages
Python · SQL · Dart · JavaScript
Data Science & AI
Machine Learning · Pandas & NumPy · Scikit-learn · Data Visualization
Web & Mobile Dev
Flutter · Node.js · HTML5 & CSS3
Cloud & Tools
Google Cloud Platform · Power BI · Git & GitHub · Excel (Advanced)
Professional Skills
Business Analytics · Problem Solving · Communication · Financial Accounting
Teaching & Mentoring
The clearest way I know an idea is understood is being able to teach it. Whether that's adapting a lesson for a classroom of primary learners or walking a university student through a concept they missed in a lecture, teaching has shaped how I explain technical work now — I default to making the reasoning behind a result legible, not just the result itself.
Student Support Worker
Oct 2024 - Apr 2025Clear Links Support Ltd.
Class Teacher
Aug 2022 - Aug 2024St. Mary's Church, Dehiwala
Volunteer
Event Support Volunteer
Sep 2026John Keells Foundation
Supported registration and guest check-in at the launch of Artist Spotlight (8th edition) by John Keells Foundation and City of Dreams.
Event Assistant
Apr 2026John Keells Foundation
Participated as an usher for the La Bamba musical at Cinnamon Life, assisting guests with seating and venue guidance.
Volunteer
Feb 2026John Keells Foundation
Volunteered at John Keells Foundation's Kala Pola, organised in collaboration with the George Keyt Foundation.
Memberships
Rotaract Club · IEEE Club · Sri Lankan Society UoW · CIMA Student Member · BCS Member
On Decisions, Not Just Predictions
Most of the applied AI work I've done shares one constraint: a model's output only matters if the person reading it can act on it. A risk score for PCOS is only useful if a clinician can see which factors drove it. A margin-optimisation model is only useful if the incentive structure it recommends is one a distributor team can actually run. A study assistant built on a RAG pipeline is only useful if it stays inside the syllabus it's meant to teach, rather than answering fluently but wrong.
That's the thread I keep pulling on: building analytics and AI systems that are transparent enough for the person on the other end to trust the decision, not just the number. In practice that's meant favouring interpretable feature selection over black-box performance gains, building dashboards around the specific decision someone needs to make rather than every metric available, and constraining generative systems to stay grounded in source material instead of improvising.
It's also why teaching and data work don't feel like separate halves of what I do. Both are exercises in making something complex legible to someone who has to use it.
Achievements
3rd Place - Final Year Research Project
2025Westminster, Netcompany and SmartDCC
Awarded for PCOS Care, showcasing innovation in machine learning and healthcare.
Hackathon Finalist — GenAI for Neurodiversity
2024Microsoft EMBRACE Employee Resource Group
AI-powered chatbot prototype to guide and support people newly diagnosed with neurodiverse conditions.
University of Westminster IIT School of Computing and Engineering Scholarship
2024University of Westminster
Awarded for academic excellence and extracurricular involvement.
In The News
JKH Intercompany Swimming Meet 2026: Team OCTAVE Wins the Overall Women's Championship
2026John Keells Holdings
Represented OCTAVE — won 3 individual golds and gold in every relay in the Under-25 age group, as OCTAVE was named overall women's champion.
Read more →
Celebrating Innovation at the Computer Science & Engineering Final Year Project Showcase
2025University of Westminster
Featured for showcase innovation.
Read more →
Westminster CS Students Receive Prizes
2025University of Westminster
Press coverage of the 3rd Place award for PCOS Care.
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WIM & NYSC Recognise Youth
2020Daily FT
Women in Management & National Youth Services Council New Generation Awards recognition.
Read more →Ask about Rachel
Answers grounded in a curated knowledge base.