Engineering the technology behind robotics and AI

As a final-year Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours) student at the University of Newcastle, Mithun Sivanesan is already applying his skills beyond the classroom through robotics competitions, industry projects and real-world technology systems.

Originally from Sri Lanka and raised in Oman, Mithun moved to Newcastle in 2023 to begin his studies. Since then, he has become involved in the University's NUbots robotics team and secured a role with Digital Technology Services (DTS), gaining valuable experience while completing his degree.

Mithun's interest in software engineering began at a young age through a love of video games and a curiosity about the technology behind them.

“Video games were actually one of my biggest inspirations growing up,” he says.

“Seeing all that come from what's essentially a small plastic box was awe-inspiring to me at the time and made me want to learn more about how people could do things like that.”

When choosing where to study, the University of Newcastle stood out for its software engineering program and the opportunity to study close to family already living in Newcastle.

“A bonus for me was that I already had family living in Newcastle as well,” he says.

Throughout his degree, Mithun has developed the technical and problem-solving skills needed for a career in software engineering while learning from experienced academics and working alongside like-minded students.

“I've also been really glad to meet some of the academics in the software engineering field who are experts at their craft and use their experiences to enhance the lessons taught to us,” he says.

A major highlight of Mithun's degree has been his involvement with NUbots, the University's student-led robotics team. Through NUbots, he has been able to apply the software engineering concepts learned throughout his degree to robotics, autonomous systems and real-world technology challenges.

After joining the team in his second year, Mithun has worked across a range of projects, from localisation systems that help robots understand their position on the field through to development environments that support the team's software systems.

Currently, Mithun is undertaking his final-year project with NUbots, helping migrate the team's code and tools to a new robot platform that will be tested at RoboCup in collaboration with UNSW and RMIT.

Through this experience, he has gained valuable insights into how intelligent systems are developed and maintained, while also building practical skills that mirror those used in industry.

“I've learned a lot of things from NUbots that you'd typically learn from working in the industry, including how large teams work collaboratively on code and the workflows set up to do so,” he says.

“It's also given me an opportunity to revise my mathematics, as we tend to use a lot of that in our code, and also to improve my problem-solving skills.”

This year, Mithun will represent NUbots at RoboCup in South Korea, one of the world's leading robotics competitions. Having previously competed in Beijing as part of the RoboCup Asia-Pacific Beijing Masters, he says the experience provided a unique opportunity to apply classroom learning in a highly practical environment.

“It was a complete change of pace from what I was used to from working at the NUbots lab,” he says.

“I came away learning a lot, and I had a great time with my peers in Beijing.”

Mithun at the RoboCup Asia-Pacific Beijing Masters, 2025

Alongside NUbots, Mithun works as a DevOps Engineering Assistant with Digital Technology Services at the University, helping manage and improve data pipelines that transform information from University systems into actionable insights for analytics teams.

For Mithun, opportunities such as DTS and NUbots have reinforced the value of the skills developed throughout his degree and demonstrated how software engineering can be applied across a range of industries and technologies.

“The many projects I've had to do throughout my degree helped me prepare for opportunities by giving me the experience necessary to stand out and help me in my day-to-day work,” he says.

He credits courses in software development, data structures and algorithms with helping build the foundations he continues to use in both roles.

Looking ahead, Mithun sees significant opportunities for software engineers in emerging technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence.

“From what I've used of AI, there is a lot of potential for AI to help in an assistive manner for other software engineers, and be a core part of the robotics framework,” he says.

After graduating, Mithun hopes to continue building his career in software engineering and apply the skills he has developed through his degree in industry.

“I expect to graduate at the end of this year, and plan to stick around in Newcastle to try and find graduate opportunities that pertain to software engineering,” he says.

Reflecting on his experience, he encourages future students not to worry about knowing everything before they start.

“My advice would be to not worry too much on mastering the fundamentals before you start your degree,” he says.

“The degree makes sure you've mastered the fundamentals by the end of your second year.”

I've learned a lot of things from NUbots that you'd typically learn from working in the industry.