Dr. Anushka Rajapaksha, Faculty of Applied Science, was awarded the prestigious TWAS─Atta-ur-Rahman Award in Chemistry in the year 2022 by the UNESCO -World Academy of Sciences, Italy. The award was announced during the Annual Meeting held virtually at Zhejiang University (ZJU), in Hangzhou, China on 21st November 2022. This is the very first time that a Sri Lankan Scientist received this TWAS─Atta-ur-Rahman Award in the field of Chemistry from The World Academy of Sciences
TWAS─Atta-ur-Rahman Award in Chemistry; now sponsored by the Searle Company Ltd, honours young scientists national of a Scientifically and Technologically Lagging country, for their contribution to the field of Chemistry. The honour carries a cash award of USD 5,000 and a certificate. The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries, known worldwide by its acronym, TWAS, supports sustainable prosperity through research, education, policy and diplomacy. The Academy is based in Trieste, Italy and is a programme unit of UNESCO. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable development in developing countries.
Dr Rajapaksha was awarded this honour for her contribution to the development of a novel engineered biochar as an innovative solution to environmental challenges, particularly the remediation of contaminated soils and water. Dr. Rajapaksha also ranked among the top 2% of the world’s best scientists in the 2020 and 2021 lists of outstanding researchers, prepared by Elsevier BV and Stanford University, USA.
