Meet Sri Lankan Researcher- Jayaruwan Gunathilake

What are you currently working on or worked on before?

Recovering of high-value metals and nutrients from wastewater using electro-driven processes. Previously, solid-state ion-selective electrodes for the determination of carbonic acid species in biological systems.

What encouraged you to pursue your research topic?

We consume an enormous amount of resources and some of it is at the brink of depletion. It is generally perceived that this is a problem for later generations. Yet this is happening at an exponential rate and we will suffer the consequences in the foreseeable future.

If we are to successfully counter this, one of the things that need to be done is recovering and reusing the limited amount of resources we have. This was an area of research I wanted to pursue.

What is the name of your current institute?

Wageningen University & Research

Where do you find your best inspiration for your work?

Quite literally in the coffee corner, where I can discuss ideas with my colleagues.

Can you share with us some of your publications?

Will be available soon

What’s one of your biggest personal achievements so far?

Within the Sri Lankan education framework, I was not “good enough” to receive a university education. In retrospect, it was indeed what helped me to get here. So I’m quite content with where I am today.

What lessons would you share with a budding researcher?

As cliché as it sounds, get out of your comfort zone. I see many Sri Lankans are trying to look for familiar waters. They tend to make it a priority to go somewhere they have friends or family. By doing this, they limit their options and lose out on interesting opportunities.

Big names look good on paper, and familiarity brings comfort. But if you cannot thrive there, it’s not a place you should be. You cannot hope to discover new things at the comfort of your couch. Also, no one can find you a fitting research position or a career for you. You need to do that yourself, and actively seek out opportunities instead of waiting for someone to point you in whatever direction.

What motivated you to be a researcher?

Curiosity. It is an interesting thing to be able to contribute to the collective pool of knowledge.

According to your opinion, what are the changes that the Sri Lankan education system needs to do, in order to meet the requirement of the international industry and academia?

This is going to take more than one measly paragraph. But at least one of the things that need to be done is to reduce or the figurative distance between educators and students. Seeing educators as unquestionable authority figures discourages students to ask questions, challenge opinions, and present their ideas. The notion that this is disrespectful needs to go away.