Senior Professor P.A. Paranagama Appointed as the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya

 The Faculty of Graduate Studies of the University of Kelaniya is pleased to announce the appointment of Senior Professor P.A. Paranagama as the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. She officially assumed duties on March 3, 2025.

The event was graced by several distinguished guests, including the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, Deans of Faculties, Faculty Board members, Registrar, Bursar, other academic and administrative staff, and distinguished guests who gathered to extend their best wishes to Senior Professor Paranagama.

Senior Professor Paranagama holds a BSc in Chemistry and an MPhil in Chemistry from the University of Kelaniya. She obtained her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Glasgow, United Kingdom.

A distinguished researcher, Senior Professor Paranagama specializes in developing value-added products from Indigenous Medicine, isolating and characterizing bioactive compounds from endolichenic fungi, value addition of essential oils and spices, and developing biopesticides for agricultural pest control in Sri Lanka. She has also contributed to research on the mode of action of biopesticides.

Her extensive academic leadership includes serving as the Dean of the College of Chemical Sciences at the Institute of Chemistry Ceylon (2016) and as the Director of Indigenous Medicine at the University of Colombo (2018-2023). Additionally, she has been appointed as the Chair of Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, since 2012.

The University of Kelaniya extends its best wishes to Senior Professor P.A. Paranagama in her new role and looks forward to her leadership in advancing postgraduate education and research excellence.