University Grants Commission - Sri Lanka

Senior Professor Kapila Seneviratne

Prof. Kapila Seneviratne is Tier 4* Professor who is a testament to the equal opportunities provided by the free education in Sri Lanka. Prof. Seneviratne started his educational journey at the Maharanugegoda Primary School and Kadawatha Maha Vidyalaya, where he obtained university entrance to University of Kelaniya to pursue Biological Sciences. He holds a BSc (Special) Degree in Chemistry from the University of Kelaniya and a Ph.D. from Wayne State University, USA where he graduated with a GPA of 4.0/4.0. Even at the early stages of his academic career, his academic achievements were recognized with the Ceylon Tobacco Prize for best student in Botany, University of Kelaniya and the Esther and Stanley Kirschner Graduate Award for outstanding academic and research achievements at the Wayne State University, USA. He conducted his postdoctoral studies at the University of British Columbia, Canada. He was a Commonwealth Fellow at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom and a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, United States of America.

Prof. Seneviratne is a renowned authority on the Chemistry and nutrition of coconut oil and was the first to report the presence of antioxidants in coconut oil. He is a top researcher among Sri Lankan academics and his research findings on coconut oil, coconut oil industry related agricultural byproducts, natural plant extracts have resulted in ten (10) national patented findings one of which was approved for international patent protection under the patent cooperation treaty with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for a natural and safe alternative for synthetic food preservatives to extend the microbial and oxidative shelf life of thermally processed food products using byproducts of the coconut oil industry. His patented research findings also extend to the use of edible oils to enhance the protective effect of antioxidant food supplements. These findings contribute to value addition to coconut oil and byproducts of the coconut industry with increased potential for higher export income. His outstanding research contributions in Chemical Sciences was recognized with the Dr. C.L.de Silva Gold Medal Award in 2009. He has also won numerous awards in recognition of his contributions in research and innovation such as President’s Award and Vice Chancellor’s Awards. He has also authored numerous research articles in journals listed in internationally recognized indexes in addition to the books and book chapters he authored in the areas of his research expertise. He has secured numerous national and international funding amounting to over 80 million LKR throughout his academic career to develop research at the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya where he has established three state-of-art laboratories to conduct translational research spanning Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Molecular Biology. He is also the founding Director of the Center for Coconut Oil Research and Consultation at the University of Kelaniya. He has supervised several MPhil and PhD students, most of whom now serve as Professors, and Senior Lecturers at various international and national state and private universities.

Professor Seneviratne’s contribution to advancement of scientific research does not stop at the research bench. He is also the founding chairman of the Ethics Review Committee, University of Kelaniya, established with the goal of facilitating ethical conduct of research in not only Science and Technology but also Social Sciences, Humanities, Commerce and Management. Prof. Seneviratne also served as the Chairman of the Research Council and during his appointment, he took measures to promote research and publications from the University of Kelaniya to enhance the university rank.

Prof. Seneviratne’s distinguished career in academia is also enriched with his numerous contributions to the university administration and national services. He served as the Head of the Department of Chemistry at the Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya during which time he set the groundwork to launch three Masters degree programs which currently enroll over 200 students annually. He also served as the Dean of the Faculty of Science during which time, he oversaw the renovation of the faculty and secured funds to establish new infrastructure facilities at the Faculty of Science to facilitate increased intake of students to the State funded universities. Prof Seneviratne also served as a member of the Council of the University of Kelaniya, Member of the Board of Management of the Institute of Indigenous Medicine, Member of the Board of management of the Postgraduate Institute of Archeology and as the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Kelaniya.