People
Our research group consists of both undergraduate and graduate students working under the guidance of a qualified team of university academics.
Academic Staff
Dr. Priyan Perera
Priyan Perera is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Forestry & Environmental Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He received his PhD (Forestry) from the School of Renewable Natural Resources in Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge LA, USA in 2011. Priyan is interested in interdisciplinary research related to sustainable management and utilization of biodiversity and its components. His research interests and some of the ongoing research works are related to wildlife ecology and management, ecotourism & tourism planning in protected areas, certification of sustainable agriculture/forestry, biological indicators of sustainability, To date, his research works have led to several international publications in respective fields.
Dr. N.P D
ayawansa
Nihal Dayawansa is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Zoology, University of Colombo. He obtained his PhD in Animal behavioral ecology from the University of Aberdeen, UK. He is one of the renowned behavioral ecologist and field biologist in the country with well over 30 years of experience in biodiversity research. To date, Dr. Dayawansa’s research works have led to several international publications in the respective field. At present, he is serving as an Associate Professor in Biology, Department of Biology, Fiji National University.
Undergraduate Students
Sumu
du Marasinghe
Sumudu Marasinghe is an undergraduate student in the Environmental Management and Forestry Special Degree program offered by the Department of Forestry & Environmental Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Her research interests are mainly in the fields of Wild life and Forestry. Her undergraduate research project is related to “urban wildlife ecology and management”, and the project is carried out under the supervision of Dr. Priyan Perera and Dr. Nihal Dayawansa. The research project aims at understanding the composition and functional diversity of avifaunal community in Karadiyana landfill site; an urban landfill in Colombo District. The main focus of the study is given to identify the diversity and dynamics of the abundance of the avifaunal species which are associated with the urban landfills as well as the pattern and extent of use of landfills by the avifauna.
Pabasara Gunawardane
Pabasara Gunawardane is a final year student currently following the special degree course in the Forestry and Environmental Science at the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science of University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He is currently studying about the distribution and abundance of Indian pangolins (Manis crassicaudata) in Yagirala forest reserve; a tropical lowland forest as his final year research. His major areas of interests are wildlife management and social and cultural aspects of human–wildlife conflicts.
Post-graduate students
