Sandaru has over six years of experience in research, urban planning and development, and digital technologies, with key roles in both academia and public sector projects. She holds research concerns in the interrogation of human-environment interactions. In particular, she is interested in the application of digital technologies such as GIScience and VR, and advanced quantitative methodologies to investigate perceptions of criminal risk, perceptions of safety, and the fear of crime and crime prevention through environmental design. She also holds a growing interest in climate resilience research and measuring the emotional impact of climate manifestations. She has contributed to high-impact projects such as the Ageing in Place Pathfinder with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and has held academic roles at the Manchester School of Architecture. Sandaru holds a PhD in Urban Studies from Manchester Metropolitan University, an MSc in Geographical Information Science from The University of Manchester, and a BSc (Hons) in Town and Country Planning from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. She has published her work in international journals, including Energy Policy, and presented at numerous global conferences.

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