The University of Sri Jayewardenepura (USJ) hosted its prestigious Research Awards ceremony for the years 2021-2023 on Friday, November 22nd, 2024, at the Golden Rose Hotel, Boralesgamuwa. The event recognized outstanding contributions to research and academic excellence across multiple disciplines.
In his opening address, Vice Chancellor Prof. Pathmalal Manage highlighted how the university’s commitment to research excellence has significantly contributed to USJ’s rising prominence in international rankings, including Times Higher Education (THE), QS World University Rankings, and Webometrics. Prof. Manage emphasized the direct correlation between research output and the university’s global standing.
Guest of Honor, Prof. Sampath Amaratunge, who initiated this awards program in 2014, expressed satisfaction at how the event has evolved to become a cornerstone of USJ’s academic calendar. He noted the impressive growth in both the quantity and quality of research outputs over the past decade.
A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the prestigious Vice Chancellor’s Awards, presented in two streams: Science, and Social Sciences & Humanities. These awards recognize researchers who have demonstrated exceptional contributions to their respective fields over the past five years.
The Early Career Researcher Awards celebrated promising academics under 40 who have shown outstanding research potential, maintained consistent publication records in top-tier journals, and achieved a minimum Scopus h-index of 10.
The awards recognized excellence across several categories, including:
– Publications in high-impact indexed journals (Web of Science and Scopus): 258 Awardees
– Successful PhD and MPhil supervisions: 35 Awardees
– External research grant acquisitions: 40 Awardees
– Patent achievements: 9 Awardees
– Early Career Researcher achievements
4 Awardees
Year 2021 – Dr. A. D. N. Gunarathne, Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce
Year 2022 – Dr. I . Munaweera, Faculty of Applied Sciences
Year 2022 – Dr. A. M. A. U. Alahakoon, Faculty of Technology
Year 2023 – Dr. K. K. A. Sanjeewa, Faculty of Technology
– Recognition in the top 2% of scientists worldwide (Elsevier/Stanford List)
5 Awardees
Prof. G. N. Malavige, Faculty of Medical Sciences
Prof. M. S. Vithanage,Faculty of Applied Sciences
Dr. R. M. A. U. Rajapaksha, Faculty of Applied Sciences
Dr. L. T. R. K. M. Thambugala, Faculty of Applied Sciences
Dr. K. K. A. Sanjeewa, Faculty of Technology
Vice Chancellor’s Awards – Dr. C. D. Udawaththa, Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce
The ceremony was enriched by musical performances from the University Undergraduates Band from the Department of Creative Music, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, featuring renowned artist Pradepa Dharamdasa. Senior Lecturer Priyantha Thilaksiri coordinated the cultural segment.
All award recipients demonstrated excellence through publications in recognized indexed journals, including Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index, Arts and Humanities Citation Index, and Scopus-indexed journals. Special consideration was given to papers published in journals ranked in the SCImago Journal Quartile Rankings.
This celebration of research excellence reaffirms USJ’s position as a leading research institution in Sri Lanka and highlights its growing influence in the global academic community.
