Professor Janitha Abeywickrema Liyanage

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the Russian Federation, with concurrent accreditation to the Republic of Armenia, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Moldova, the Republic of Kazakhstan and Republic of Uzbekistan

 

H.Epic

Prof Janitha Abeywickrema Liyanage was born on 28 May 1963. Graduated with honours from University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka in 1991 with a Special Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry and Zoology as a subsidiary subject. She obtained her PhD in Chemistry from Cardiff University, Wales in United Kingdom, in 1996, specialising in bio-inorganic chemistry. In 1999-2000, Dr J. A. Liyanage did her postdoctoral research at the Department of Environmental Studies in Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute; in 2004, at the University of Adelaide, Australia; and in 2005, at the Department of Chemistry at Cardiff University, Wales, UK.
She has received the Presidential Award for Scientific Research in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014 and many other academic awards. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK), and Institute of Chemistry (Ceylon). She is a Chartered Scientist and Chartered Chemist (UK), and a Member of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science.
Prof. Janitha Abeywickrema Liyanage has authored two monographs, three books and hand-books, co-authored two books published by reputed publishers and authored over fifty articles in refereed journals. Prof. J. A. Liyanage has received more than twenty national and foreign research grants, registered four patents, and presented papers at more than 200 conferences.
At various times, Prof. J. A. Liyanage has been a Council Member of the Sri Lanka Standards Institute and the Vice President of the Institute of Chemistry Ceylon, Member of the Board of Directors of the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Authority, President, Chemical Sciences, of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science, and the General President of the Association in 2020. 

 

 

Positions held at the Higher Education Sector:

 

April – December 1991      — Assistant lecturer, Department of  Chemistry, University of Kelaniya, University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

December 1991 – December 1996            —  Lecturer, Department of Chemistry,University of Kelaniya.

December 1996 – December 2007            —  Senior lecturer, Department of  Chemistry, University of Kelaniya.

December 2007 – December 2015            —  Professor in Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Kelaniya.

October 2008 – December 2015                —  Director, Gampaha Wickramarachchi  Ayurveda Institute.

January 2017 – January 2020                    —  Head of Department of Chemistry, University of Kelaniya.

From December 2015                                —  Senior Professor in Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Kelaniya.

December 2019 – March 2021                   —  Competent Authority, Gampaha Wickramarachchi Ayurveda Institute.

January 2020 – March 2021                       —  Vice Chairperson, University Grants Commission Sri Lanka.

March 2021 – September 2021                  —  Vice Chancellor, Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine.

October 2021                                            — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic

                                                                        Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the Russian Federation