IIDA Texas Oklahoma Chapter is proud to announce that Tilanka Chandrasekera, Professor in the Department of Design and Merchandising, has been named the 2025 IIDA Educator of the Year. This award recognizes and celebrates a full-time design educator for outstanding accomplishments and commitment to interior design education.

“An IIDA Of the Year recipient reflects a profound commitment to interior design through advancing education, elevating the profession, and making a lasting impact on those around them,” said IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO, Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA. “This year’s award honorees have strengthened our industry and it's communities by championing initiatives that encourage growth and collaboration, propelling the future of interior design.”

Chandrasekera is a professor in the Department of Design and Merchandising at Oklahoma State University (OSU) and Associate Department Head. He is also Director of the Mixed Reality Lab and holds the Christine Salmon Endowed Professorship. In his 11 years at OSU, he has received multiple awards, including three from the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. His research explores the nexus between digital media and design and has been featured in 27 peer-reviewed journal articles, among other publications.

Chandrasekera has secured more than $2 million in funding to fuel technology-driven approaches to design education. He developed courses on using VR and AR for social good and the ethics of AI. In 2015, he established the Mixed Reality Lab, which has helped OSU rank among the top 10 AR/VR schools in the Southwest since 2021. He also launched the Peer Teaching Mentorship Program and the Partnership for Excellence in Technology and Environmental Design. He speaks about VR and AI internationally and serves on the editorial boards of Frontiers in Virtual Reality and the Journal of Interior Design.

Chandrasekera will receive $7,500 cash prize and a one-year complimentary IIDA membership. He will be honored during IIDA’s 2025 Annual Meeting on June 8 at the WorkLife Meetings at The Mart, also available to view via live-stream on IIDA’s YouTube channel (@IIDA_hq).