Rasitha Jayesekere
Professor - Statistics and Actuarial Science, Department of Mathematical Sciences
Dr. Rasitha Jayesekere is a Professor of Statistics and Actuarial Science and serves as the Director of Statistics and Actuarial Science in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. She also coordinates the interdisciplinary Data Science minor, and serves as the faculty sponsor for Butler’s student chapter of the Mu Sigma Rho National Statistics Honor Society and the Indiana Beta chapter of the Kappa Mu Epsilon Mathematics Honor Society.
Her primary research interests include statistics, data mining, operations research, statistics education, and community-based learning in statistics. She values interdisciplinary collaborations and enjoys connecting with diverse fields. At Butler, Dr. Jayesekere teaches courses in Statistics, Actuarial Science, and Data Science, and she also provides statistical consulting support to faculty and students across campus.
Dr. Jayesekere is a recipient of the Faculty All-Star Recognition Award in 2021 for her service to the university including her contribution to developing Statistics major, Data Science minor, and the Master of Data Analytics program, co-authoring with faculty colleagues across the university in their research, and statistical consultancy on campus. She is also the recipient of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Outstanding Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2020, and Lacey School of Business' 2025 - 2026 Outstanding Faculty Award for Master of Science in Business Analytics.
Dr. Jayesekere earned BSc in Applied Sciences from Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, MSc in Industrial Mathematics from University of Sri Jayewardenepura Sri Lanka, MA in Mathematics from University of Louisville, KY and PhD in Industrial and Applied Mathematics from University of Louisville, KY. She is currently working toward the Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA) designation from the Society of Actuaries.
Prior to Butler Dr. Jayesekere has taught at Centre College (Danville, KY), University of Louisville (KY), Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology (APIIT - Sri Lanka) and Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. While at APIIT - Sri Lanka, Dr. Jayesekere served as the project manager for Technopreneur Incubation Center which supported undergraduates on starting up tech-entrepreneurships, funded by the World Bank under the project Improving Relevance and Quality of Undergraduate Education (IRQUE).
Dr. Jayesekere is the current Vice President of National Mu Sigma Rho Statistics Honor Society and volunteers at Statistics Without Borders.
Dr. Jayesekere has found Butler University to be a place filled with unique and exciting opportunities—and you can experience them too. Here are some of the latest opportunities and adventures at Butler that you might find interesting:
- Butler and SLIIT - Sri Lanka 2+2 degree program for Actuarial Science.
- Butler's new Overseas degree program to earn a degree across eight countries in six continents in three years, including a semester in Sri Lanka.
- Butler's Master of Science in Business Analytics.