Meet Sri Lankan Researcher — Minoli Aponso

What are you currently working on or worked on before?

I’m closely researching the therapeutic efficacy of inhaled essential oils on brain-related functions at Monash University, Australia. My research publications are available here.

What encouraged you to pursue your research topic?

My passion is to make people live healthy lives, and I always wanted to do research in a field where I could deliver good input towards this aspect. I’m now working on unveiling the chemistry behind inhaled essential oils to discover how powerful they can be to address brain disorders and it very well aligns with what I would really like to do.

I find the best inspiration for my work by doing experiments in the lab and reading good research articles inspire me a lot.

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

Securing a position and receiving a full scholarship to follow my Ph.D. at Monash University is one of my biggest personal achievements so far.

What lessons would you share with a budding researcher?

• Always try your very best and never give up
• It’s very important to identify the options related to your specific field of study and experimenting with new pathways is always a plus point to expand your research experience.

What motivated you to be a researcher?

I always loved discovering new things in a scientific manner in order to solve or minimize prevailing issues related to health, and for me, research seems like the best approach.

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?

It’s very important to establish a student-centered learning system in Sri-Lanka in order to deliver a novel learning experience to the students to explore their talents and identify what they would really like to do.

This would enhance the creativity of students and influence them to think out of the box which is one of the most important aspects that would be considered in an international platform.