Associate Professor Shelton Peiris

Shelton Peiris Academic staff member in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Sydney.

He has been offered a number of senior academic positions overseas. However, he would continue with his contributions, achievements, services and develop all aspects of the academic life for his own professional satisfaction and for future reference.

He is a member of FIRN.

Postal address: Associate Professor Shelton Peiris
School of Mathematics and Statistics F07
University of Sydney NSW 2006
Australia
Office: Room 819, Carslaw Building
Email: shelton.peiris@sydney.edu.au
Telephone: +61 2 9351 5764
Department Fax: +61 2 9351 4534

Current Responsibilities/Services: Director - Statistics Teaching Program
Sub Dean - Faculty of Science
Associate Editor (see below: Editorial Work)
Justice of the Peace (NSW) (see below: Other Community Services)

  • New South Wales Statutory Declaration Form
  • New South Wales Affidavit Form
  • Justice of the Peace Handbook - New South Wales

    • Research Interests

    Statistical analysis of stationary and non-stationary time series data, theory and applications of estimating functions, financial time series modelling, saddlepoint and Edgeworth type apporoximations related to time series problems.

    I am a member of the Statistics group.

    Excellence in Teaching Award in 2012

    A/Prof Peiris has been awarded the Faculty of Science Citation for Excellence in Teaching in 2012 on Tuesday, 15 May. This is awarded to academic teaching staff to recognise contributions to high quality teaching and enhancing the student learning environment.

    Research in Teaching

    It is known that many higher education institutions do not recognise and/or ignore the importance of "good teaching". This is especially visible in the area of mathematical sciences. This hostile reaction to "good teaching" and encourage "bad teaching" (if not worse or worst teaching) at managerial level have created a great discomfort for many students. Now we are witnessing the negative results of this in many ways. Examples:

  • Poor mathematical skills of some university students.

  • Hyperbolic (if not exponential) decay of continuing student numbers.

  • School children with least interests of mathematics.

    What is good teaching?

    Good teaching is a complex process that begins and ends with students. It takes into account who they are, what they already know, what interests they may already have, and what they will need to know. But subject expertise alone does not a good teacher make. The difference between subject expertise and the kind of explanatory expertise that results in good teaching is real important. In sense, the real difference between being an expert in something and being an expert who teaches is showing students how you got-and how they can get-the rabbit out of the hat should be identified.

    Q: How can one identify Satisfactory teaching, Superior teaching and Outstanding teaching?

    Unless the authorities/superiors find ways to resolve this using reasonable measures and practical guidelines to identify 'good teachers', standards of mathematics and statistics education will deteriorate at hyperbolic or exponential rate! If this trend continues, in 10 or 15 years time we may need about 10% of the current staff to teach mathematics/statistics as there will be very few students interested of doing mathematics.

    General Information

    Shelton Peiris did his PhD at Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria. After graduation from Monash in 1987, he lectured at the University of Moratuwa and the University of Melbourne before joining what was then the Statistics Department in 1990. He has been here ever since except for visiting appointments at the University of Waterloo (1993), the University of Manitoba (1997), the University of Iowa (1997), Thaksin University (1998) and Pennsylvania State University (2002).

    His recent publications include joint authorship with * C.R.Rao, * Bovas Abraham, * Vo Anh, * David Allen, * A.Thava, * J.Robinson and * S.Yadavalli.

    Major Journals with papers

    Journal of Econometrics, Journal of Time Series Analysis, Journal of Multivariate Analysis, Stochastic Processes and Applications, Metrika, the Australian Journal of Statistics, Biometrical Journal, Statistics and Probability Letters and the Australian Journal of Management.

    More Information

    Currently, his main research interests are in developing methods for modelling financial time series data and resampling, saddlepoint and Edgeworth type apporoximations related to time series problems. A long term interest in the teaching of statistics/mathematics has also developed into a research interest with particular emphasis on the role of technology in education and learning in statistics.

    Recently Allan, McAleer, Peiris and Chan won an ARC Linkage grant of A$295000 (for 2004-2007) for the project "Modelling stock market liquidity in Australia and the Asia Pacific Region".

    He was a council member and treasurer of the SSAI (Statistical Society of Australia Inc.) NSW branch (2003-2006). He has organised a number of workshops and invited paper sessions in Australia and overseas. He is an elected member of ISI.

    He was the Director of Statistics Teaching Program (2005-2006).

    Editorial Work

  • AMS Math Reviewer Mathematical Reviews (AMS Instructions for Mathematical Reviews)

  • Associate Editor/Editorial Board Member of Advances in Decision Sciences

  • Associate Editor of Journal of Statistical Computation and Simulation

  • Associate Editor/Editorial Board Member of Pakistan Journal of Statistics and Operation Research (PJSOR)

  • Editorial Board Member of InterStat

  • Associate Editor of Journal of Statistics

  • Editorial Board Member of Journal of Mathematics and Statistics

  • Editorial Advisory Board Member Sri Lankan Journal of Applied Statistics

    Professional Contributions

  • International Statistics coference in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 28-30 Dec., 2011

  • Councillor/Treasurer of Statistical Society of Australia Inc. (SSAI) NSW (2003-2006)

  • Statistical Society of Australia Inc. [SSAI(NSW)} ACTIVITIES

  • International Statistics coference in SRILANKA, 28-30 Dec., 2004

  • Sydney Summer Statistics Workshop, Feb 27, 2004 - Joint Sponsors : USYD, UNSW, MACQU

    Other Information

  • Full List of Publications and Presentations

  • Summary of my career

  • Publications

  • Recent Accepted Papers

  • PUBLICATIONS FOR FUN

  • A NOTE ON RESEARCH

  • Download Some Papers

  • Publications Prior to 1997

  • Visiting Appointments

  • Teaching

    Comments from Students on Teaching

    One

  • Time Series Data

  • Seminars

    Personal Information/Hobbies

  • My Family (A Photo in 1996)

  • Sports: Tennis, Cricket, Jogging, Walking

  • Music: Classical (worldwide)

  • Writing: Poems and Stories (in Sinhalese):

    The following articles have been published in Books/Magazines/News papers:

    Short Stories (in Sinhala)

    A short story: Scholarship to Sydney (Thisara Tharana (2008), 89-98, ISBN 978-955-600-6, Dayawansa Jayakody & Co, Colombo, Sri Lanka)

    A short story: Another Spring (The Sinhala, Aug 2008, pp22-24; ISSN: 1834 7061, National Library of Australia)

    A short story: Destiny (The Sinhala, Oct 2008, pp21-23; ISSN: 1834 7061, National Library of Australia)

    A short story: The Moon is Shining Again (The Sinhala, Aug 2009, pp16-18; ISSN: 1834 7061, National Library of Australia)

    A short story: Antho Jata I (Tangled Mind - part one) (Pahana Community Magazine, September 2009 - Issue 77, p24)

    A short story: Antho Jata II (Tangled Mind - Part two) (Pahana Community Magazine, Oct/Nov 2009 - Issue 78, p26-27)

    A short story: Mother's Love (The Sinhala, Aug 2010, pp11-14; ISSN: 1834 7061, National Library of Australia)

    Kavi (in Sinhala)

  • Hope (ISSN: 1834 7061, National Library of Australia). The Sinhala, January 2010.

  • Invitation to Lankaramaya: Vesak Kavi: Ran Wata Piduma (Erection of the Golden Fence for Bodhi Tree at Lankaramaya)

    (Appeared in Lankaramaya News Letter, Vesak (May) Issue 2010)

  • Poson Bakthi: Poson Kavi (Appeared in Lankaramaya Electronic News Letter, Poson (June) Issue 2010)

  • Poem: A request from a mother to her son living overseas (web publication)

  • Poem: A request from a mother to her son living overseas (The Sinhala, November 2011, pp; ISSN: 1834 7061, National Library of Australia)

  • New Dharmasalawa: Aradhana (Appeared in Lankaramaya News Letter, March (Medin) 2012 Issue)

  • Poem: Nangi (The Sinhala, September 2012, p 33; ISSN: 1834 7061, National Library of Australia)

    Other Reviews

    A Review: Family Night (ISSN: 1834 7061, National Library of Australia)

    Writers Guild of the SCF of NSW: Writers Guild (ISSN: 1834 7061, National Library of Australia). The Sinhala, January 2010.

    Web Publications

    A short story: Tangled Mind (web publication)

    Other Community Services

  • President - Sri Lanka Association of NSW: 40th President 2012/2013

  • Vice President - Sri Lanka Association of NSW: Vice President 2011/2012

  • Committee Member - Sri Lanka Association of NSW: Committee Member 2010/2011

  • Secretary - Sri Lanka Association of NSW: Secretary, 2007/2008, 2008/2009, 2009/2010

  • Justice of the Peace (NSW) J.P. - NSW
    New South Wales Statutory Declaration Form
    New South Wales Affidavit Form
    Justice of the Peace Handbook - New South Wales

  • Lankaramaya Buddhist Vihara Association of NSW (SLBVA) Committee Member/Editor, 2013

  • Lankaramaya Buddhist Vihara Association of NSW (SLBVA) Secretary/Editor, 2011/2012

  • Lankaramaya Buddhist Vihara Association of NSW (SLBVA) Vice President/Editor, 2007-2010

  • Peradeniya University Alumni Association of NSW Founder Member; Asst. Treasurer(2007/08 and 2008/09)