Semester 2 Timetable -Sep29, 2026 : Jan 10, 2027
PHYSICS
Electronics and Embedded Systems
Prof. N. G. S. Shantha Gamage, Professor in Physics attached to the Department of Physics, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, has been elected as the new Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences.
Prof. Gamage has served the University for more than three decades, including more than seven years as a Professor in Physics. After completing his B.Sc. (Special) Degree in Physics with First Class Honours from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in 1994, he joined the Department of Physics as a Temporary Demonstrator and subsequently progressed to the position of Lecturer in Physics. He later proceeded to Tohoku University, Japan, under the Japanese Government Scholarship Programme, where he obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Geophysics.
Following his return to Sri Lanka, Prof. Gamage continued his academic career at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and progressed to the position of Professor in Physics. He has previously served as Head of the Department of Physics, Chair of the Faculty Research Committee, Faculty representative on the Senate, Student Counsellor, Academic Counsellor, and member of numerous University- and Faculty-level committees. He has also contributed to curriculum and programme development associated with the establishment and development of several academic programmes and faculties of the University.
His research interests include Geophysics, Seismology, Solid-Earth Geophysics, Geothermal Energy, Wave Propagation, Nuclear Safety, and related environmental applications. He has led and contributed to local and international research projects through competitive grants, including the India–Sri Lanka Research and Development Grant for geothermal energy exploration and an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) research grant in nuclear safety. He has also supervised postgraduate research students and developed multidisciplinary collaborations with national and international institutions.
Prof. Gamage has held several national and international scientific and professional leadership positions, including President of the Institute of Physics, Sri Lanka (IPSL), President of Section E1 of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS), and National and International Coordinator of the International Nuclear Science Olympiad (INSO). He has also served on professional and scientific bodies, Director Boards, and various technical and expert committees at national and institutional levels.
He has contributed to national education and examination activities as an Examiner and Advisor to the Department of Examinations, with responsibilities relating to G.C.E. Advanced Level Physics and Science for Technology, including subject development, examination, evaluation, and quality assurance.
Through his distinguished academic career, research contributions, professional leadership, and sustained service to national education and scientific initiatives, Prof. Gamage has developed extensive expertise in academic leadership, administration, research, student development, and both institutional and national service.
The Department of Physics-USJ wishes Prof. Gamage every success in his new role and all the very best in his future endeavours.
ශ්‍රී ජයවර්ධනපුර විශ්වවිද්‍යාලයීය ව්‍යවහාරික විද්‍යා පීඨයේ නව පීඨාධිපති ලෙස භෞතික විද්‍යා අධ්‍යයන අංශයේ මහාචාර්ය එන්. ජී. එස්. ශාන්ත ගමගේ මහතා තේරී පත්ව තිබේ.
දශක තුනකට වැඩි කාලයක් විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය වෙනුවෙන් විශිෂ්ට සේවයක් ඉටු කර ඇති ඒ මහතා, 1994 වසරේදී ශ්‍රී ජයවර්ධනපුර විශ්වවිද්‍යාලයෙන් භෞතික විද්‍යාව පිළිබඳ ප්‍රථම පන්තියේ ගෞරව සාමාර්ථයක් සහිතව විශේෂ වේදී උපාධිය ලබා ගත්තේය. පසුව ජපාන රජයේ ශිෂ්‍යත්වය යටතේ ජපානයේ ටොහොකු විශ්වවිද්‍යාලයෙන් (Tohoku University) භූ-භෞතික විද්‍යාව පිළිබඳ පශ්චාත් උපාධිය (M.Sc.) සහ ආචාර්ය උපාධිය (Ph.D.) දිනා ගැනීමට සමත් විය.
භෞතික විද්‍යා අධ්‍යයන අංශයේ අංශාධිපති, පීඨ පර්යේෂණ කමිටුවේ සභාපති, ශ්‍රී ලංකා භෞතික විද්‍යා ආයතනයේ (IPSL) සභාපති මෙන්ම ජාත්‍යන්තර න්‍යෂ්ටික විද්‍යා ඔලිම්පියාඩ් හි (INSO) ජාතික හා ජාත්‍යන්තර සම්බන්ධීකාරක ලෙසද ඔහු සුවිශේෂී නායකත්වයක් ලබා දී ඇත. මීට අමතරව, අ.පො.ස. උසස් පෙළ භෞතික විද්‍යා විෂය සම්බන්ධයෙන් විභාග දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවේ ප්‍රධාන පරීක්ෂකවරයෙකු සහ උපදේශකයෙකු ලෙස ජාතික අධ්‍යාපන ක්ෂේත්‍රයටද ඔහු අනුපමේය මෙහෙවරක් ඉටු කරයි.
The project commencement and tri-partite agreement signing ceremony for the Indo–Sri Lanka Joint Research Programme was held July 1st 2026 in the presence of government representatives from India and Sri Lanka, Vice Chancellors, university academics, and researchers.
Prof. Shantha Gamage, Departemnt of Physics, FAS-USJ is pleased to be one of the Principal Investigators leading the collaborative research project, “Geothermal Energy Exploration in Sri Lanka Using Integrated Geophysical Methods.” Dr. Wasanthi De Silva, Department of Physics, FAS-USJ, is a Co-Investigator of the project.
Out of 442 R&D proposals submitted, only 16 projects were selected for funding.
The third- and fourth-year students of the B.Sc. Honours in Physics degree program of the Department of Physics undertook an educational field visit to the facilities of the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board (SLAB) on 25 June 2026.
The visit provided students with a valuable opportunity to observe the practical applications of nuclear physics and related technologies in real-world settings. Through guided tours and interactive sessions, students gained first-hand exposure to advanced instrumentation, radiation technologies, and the diverse scientific and industrial services provided by SLAB.
The program also highlighted the significant role played by SLAB in supporting research, industry, healthcare, environmental monitoring, and national development through the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology. The visit helped bridge the gap between classroom learning and practical implementation, enabling students to better appreciate the relevance and impact of nuclear physics in modern society.
The Department of Physics extends its sincere appreciation to the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board for facilitating this informative and enriching learning experience for our students.
