Pradeeban Kathiravelu
I am Pradeeban, a computer scientist based in Anchorage, Alaska. I am passionate about distributed systems, wide area networks, and how they can be specifically used to address the inequities in healthcare access and quality.
My research interests include distributed computing, wide-area networks, big data federation, Internet measurements, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), and active learning in computer science education. I work on projects that apply these research aspects to the circumpolar north on diverse topics such as healthcare equity in rural Alaska, telehealth access in healthcare deserts, polar science, and Alaska Native Studies. I have developed decentralized frameworks using Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric for edge services and Internet eXchange Points (IXP) and published these research works in International conferences and journals. I also enjoy mentoring undergraduates in open-source and research.
I have an EU Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Distributed Computing (EMJD-DC) from INESC-ID Lisboa / Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal and Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium. Following my Ph.D. defense, I was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Biomedical Informatics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA for four years, before moving to Anchorage.
I work on teaching, undergraduate research, collaborative research, and place-based research initiatives that are of importance to the Alaskan communities. I have been active in open source development since 2008. I have been a contributor, mentor, and org admin for Google Summer of Code (GSoC). Specifically, I managed GSoC for the Department of Biomedical Informatics, Emory University (Emory BMI) from 2019 - 2023, and then formed Alaska as a new mentor organization in 2024 and been the org admin from 2024 onwards.
I like how distributed systems innovations are used to curate and share healthcare data in Healthy, through its blockchain-based architecture. Furthermore, our approach incentivizes data sharing, while respecting data ownership. We have a vibrant team at Healthy. Healthy also mentors a contributor for GSoC 2025 under Alaska, for its Bio-Block open source blockchain data curation framework. I am looking forward to more productive days with Healthy team.
During my free time, I like to plot my next travels. I have been to more than 50 countries across 6 continents. Antarctica is on my list, but probably not too soon. I also enjoy the cold winters and long summer daylight of Alaska. My recent "test results" noted that I am a 99% extrovert. I like people and diverse cultures. I believe that a peaceful world is possible.
