Draft:Gamini Rajapaksa

R.M. Gamini Rajapakse (born March 5, 1965) is a Sri Lankan Professor of Chemistry and Nanotechnology at the University of Peradeniya. He is known for his pioneering research on electrochemistry, photoelectrochemistry, and nanomaterials.

Early Life and Education
Rajapakse was born in Kandy, Sri Lanka in 1965. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry with First Class Honors from the University of Peradeniya in 1983.

Rajapakse went on to earn a PhD in chemistry from Imperial College London in 1989, where he also received a Diploma of Imperial College (DIC). His doctoral research focused on electrochemical applications of chemically modified electrodes under Professor John Kilburn.

Career
After completing his doctorate, Rajapakse returned to Sri Lanka and joined the Department of Chemistry at the University of Peradeniya as a faculty member in 1990. He was promoted to Senior Professor in 2007.

Rajapakse established the Nanotechnology degree program at Peradeniya and serves as its coordinator. He also leads the Electrochemistry and Nanomaterials research group which has produced innovations in areas such as:


 * Nanostructured metal oxide materials for energy storage and water treatment
 * Polymer nanocomposite materials

He has published over 100 scientific papers and is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka (FNASSL) as well as a Chartered Chemist (C.Chem)[9].

Rajapakse has received numerous honours and awards over his career, including:


 * CVCD Award for Most Outstanding Senior Researcher in Physical Sciences (2014)
 * NSF SUSRED Awards for PhD Supervisions
 * Hiran Tilakeratne Award for Best Research in Chemistry (2009)