“Millions saw the apple fall, but only Newton questioned why.”
Fuelled by passion and curiosity, scientists dedicate their lives to making people’s lives easier. They’re not just dreamers but also hard workers and change-makers. The Faculty of Applied Sciences at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura is home to such visionary researchers who contribute to the betterment of society while moulding the next generation of scientific leaders in the country. At the prestigious Research Awards Ceremony held on 27th March 2026, three exceptional personalities from the faculty were honoured for their transformative contributions to research and academia.
Prof. Imalka Munaweera was awarded the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Best Researcher of the Year 2024/2025. The Vice Chancellor’s Award is one of the highest recognitions granted by the university to acknowledge outstanding research performance.This accolade reflects her unwavering commitment to advancing knowledge and her significant impact within the scientific community through high-quality publications, productive collaborations, and meaningful innovations in Chemistry.
Prof. Munaweera’s valuable contributions to the fields of sustainable agriculture, food technology and packaging, environmental remediation, and nanomedicine must be admired. Receiving this award reflects Prof. Munaweera’s commitment contributing to both academia and society via research and innovation.
Dr. Saranga Diyabalanage was awarded the Early Career Researcher Award-Young Researcher of the Year 2025. Dr. Diyabalanage, as the Director of the Instrument Centre, plays a vital role in strengthening research infrastructure and capacity through his leadership. This prestigious award is presented to the researcher with the highest cumulative impact factor based on full research papers published in journals indexed in recognized indexing services, underscoring the quality, impact, and global recognition of their scholarly work during the early stages of their career.
His research has made significant contributions to advancing knowledge in environmental science, particularly in the areas of hydrogeochemistry, environmental contamination, exposure pathways, and associated human health implications. This award reflects Dr. Diyabalanage’s commitment to scientific research, academia, innovation, and addressing pressing environmental and health challenges.
Dr. Kasun Thambugala was awarded the Early Career Researcher Award-Young Researcher of the Year 2024, along with 5 other awards. Dr. Thambugala recently shone in the spotlight with his ground-breaking discovery of the new fungal species Torula srijayewardenepurensis at the university premises. This award highlights his contribution to the fields of academia and research in the fields of molecular systematics of fungi and fungal biotechnology. Dr. Thambugala is named among the top 2% scientists in the world, according to Elsevier/Stanford List in 2024 and 2025 with over 150 citations. His research is at the intersection of classical taxonomy and modern molecular techniques, opening doors to scientific discovery with a modern twist. Dr. Thambugala recently garnered international attention by being featured in the 2025/2026 Research.com “Rising Stars” rankings, placing among the top scientists globally in Ecology and Evolution.
“Every brilliant experiment, like every great work of art, starts with an act of imagination”. The Faculty of Applied Sciences warmly congratulates these three exceptional individuals for their dedication to the scientific community and society at large. The Faculty remains committed to producing many more brilliant scientists equipped with skills and knowledge equally to become the change-makers and decision-makers of our country.