DR. NALIKA R. DAYANANDA

DR. NALIKA R. DAYANANDA

Ph.D. in Environmental Chemistry, B.Sc. Hons (Environmental Conservation and Management),
CET. in Applied Statistics (IASSL), Dip. in Psychology and Counseling, A.I. Biol. (Sri Lanka)
Lecturer
Department of Indigenous Medical Resources
Contact details: nalika@gwu.ac.lk /+94 337809511

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ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

Ph.D. in Environmental Chemistry (2019 – 2022)

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.

M.Phil. in Environmental Chemistry (2019 – 2021) [Completed and Upgraded into a Ph.D.]

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.

B.Sc. in Environmental Conservation and Management with First Class Honors (2014 – 2018) [GPA; 3.74/4.0]

Department of Zoology and Environmental Management, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.

Diploma in Psychology and Counseling (2022 – 2023)

Science and Information Technology City (SITC) Campus, Sri Lanka

Certificate in Basic Statistics For Managers and Researchers (2024)

Institute of Applied Statistics (IASSL), Sri Lanka

Certificate in Computer Literacy (2015)

Information and Communication Technology Centre, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.

Certificate in Applied Statistics (2024-2025) including SPSS, R and Python software for Statistical Data Analysis.

Institute of Applied Statistics (IASSL), Sri Lanka.

FIELD OF SPECIALIZATION

CERTIFICATES/TRAININGS/SHORT COURSES

International Training Programme on Policies and Applications of Government Data Governance

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China and UNESCO IFAP China National Committee.
International Training in Environmental Toxicology and Health

Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand.
Certificate in Satellite Meteorology

South Asian Meteorological Association (SAMA), and Department of Remote sensing, Birla Institute of Technology Misra, Ranchi, India.
Cerificate in Video based learning content development for e-Learning and B-Learning

International Institute of Online Education, UNESCO in collaboration School of Computing, University of Colombo [2025]
Training workshop on Science, Technology and Innovation Policy and Policy Instruments for Sustainable Development Goals for Asia and the Pacific

The UN-Interagency Task Team Workstream 6: Capacity Building in Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (UN-IATT WS6)
Workshop on Toxicological Assessments

Environmental Committee, Sri Lanka Associations for Advancement of Science (EC-SLAAS) in collaboration with the Medical Research Institute (MRI) of Sri Lanka.
Workshop on Environmental Management Systems (Cleaner Production, Energy Management System - ISO 50001, Environmental Management System – ISO 14001, Occupational Health and Safety Management System – OHSAS 18001, Lifecycle Assessment and GHG Assessment – ISO 14064) University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka and Management System Users and Promoters Association for Sustainability, Sri Lanka.
Environmental micro- and nanoplastics on the way to plastics treaty negotiations: Ubiquity, human exposure and analytical methods for detection

The Forefront of Environmental Toxicology" Conference, Wiley, Analytical Science.(Online)
Biological Modeling and Statistics

Department of Statistics and Computer Science, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan Lichens

National Institute of Fundamental Studies (NIFS), Sri Lanka, Postgraduate Institute of Science (PGIS), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and Dilmah Conservation.
Environmental Pollution and Remedial Measures

Institute of Chemistry Ceylon, Sri Lanka.
Scientific Research

Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
Statistical Analysis, Information Literacy, Research Methodologies, and Scientific Writing

Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya.
Special Residential Programme on Evaluating Proposals for Research Grants

Research Council, Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine, Sri Lanka.
Participated in the G17 UAC GLOBAL summit as a volunteer rendered towards localizing the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Sri Lanka.

Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs and Ministry of Irrigation, Sri Lanka.

WORK EXPERIENCE/POSITIONS HELD (INTERNATIONAL/LOCAL/UNIVERSITY LEVEL/DEPARTMENT LEVEL)

Lecturer – (August 2024 – To date)

Department of Indigenous Medical Resources, Faculty of Indigenous Health Sciences and Technology,
Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine, Sri Lanka

Lecturer (Probationary) – (August 2021 – August 2024)

Department of Indigenous Medical Resources, FIHST, GWUIM, Sri Lanka

Guest Lecturer for Research Methodologies and Medical Statistics

Department of Cikitsa, Faculty of Indigenous Medicine, Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine, Sri Lanka(2022 – To date).

Visiting Lecturer for Diploma in Advanced Analytical and Molecular Biology Instrumentation, Department of Indigenous Medical Resources, GWUIM (2023 – To date).

Pre-conference speech at CINEC International Research Symposium (CIRS) -2023 on effective writing for publication in journals (Literature review and Content Development).

Guest lecturer for Deraprtment of Indigenous Health Sciences and Department of Technology, FIIHST, GWUIMon Applied Statistics, Fundamental Statistics and Analytics, Bisiness Mathematics and Business Statistics.

Guest lecture for BAMS undergraduates of the Department of Cikitsa on qualitative and Quantitative data analysis by SPSS.

Faculty Coordinator of Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), for the Faculty of Indigenous Health Sciences and Technology, GWUIM. (2025 – Up to date)

University Webmasterfor Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine, Sri Lanka (2025 – Up to date).

Faculty representative of University Business Linkage (UBL) Cell, for the Faculty of Indigenous Health Sciences and Technology, GWUIM. (2022 – 2024)

Member of Curriculum Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Committee, GWUIM (March 2024 – Up to date)

A member of the technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) of Operational Technical Secretariat at GWUIM, to provide recommendations on UBL-related procurement activities under the AHEAD project.

Department Web coordinator for the Department of Indigenous Medical Resources, GWUIM (2022 – Up to date)

Graduate Research Assistant – (January 2019 – August 2021)

CKDu Information and Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.

Teaching Assistant – (April 2018 – December 2018)

Department of Zoology and Environmental Management, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.

Research Fellow – (April 2017 – October 2017)

Air Quality Monitoring Section, National Building Research Organization, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Trainee – (January 2017 – March 2017)

Central Environmental Authority, Kegalle, Sri Lanka (As a partial requirement of the B.Sc. degree programme)

AWARDS

ONGOING REASERCH/GRANTS

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Dayananda, N.R., Liyanage, J.A. and Kannangara, S.D., 2025. Geospatial Profiling and Environmental Risk Analysis of Cadmium and Lead Dispersion in Dry Zone Soils and Sediments of Sri Lanka. Soil and Sediment Contamination: An International Journal, pp.1-22.
Ariyarathna, D., Disanayaka, S. and Dayananda, N., 2025. Comparative Assessment of Air Pollution Across an Ecosystem Gradient using Lichen-based Bioindication. Simpur Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 1(1), pp.8-21.
Dayananda, N.R. and Liyanage, J.A., 2021. Quest to Assess Potentially Nephrotoxic Heavy Metal Contaminants in Edible Wild and Commercial Inland Fish Species and Associated Reservoir Sediments; a Study in a CKDu Prevailed Area, Sri Lanka. Exposure and Health, 13(3), pp.567-581.
Botheju, S., Dayananda, N., Perera, R.T. and Liyanage, J.A., 2021. Geo-spatial distribution of hydrological nephrotoxic characteristics in Kalawewa and Tissawewa reservoirs in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. EQA-International Journal of Environmental Quality, 46, pp.13-24.
Perera, W.P.R.T., Dayananda, M.D.N.R., Dissanayake, D.M.U.C., Rathnasekara, R.A.S.D., Botheju, W.S.M., Liyanage, J.A., Weragoda, S.K. and Kularathne, K.A.M., 2021. Risk assessment of trace element contamination in drinking water and agricultural soil: a study in selected chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) endemic areas in Sri Lanka. Journal of Chemistry, 2021, pp.1-10.
Perera, R. T., Dayananda, N., Botheju, S., Liyanage, J. A., Ranasinghe, A., Karunarathne, R. H., and Kumara, G. W. G. P. ‘Toxic elements contamination in surface sediments of major tanks in Anuradhapura district; A CKDu endemic district in Sri Lanka’, International Journal of Environmental Quality, 2020, 41 (2021), 40-48, DOI: https://eqa.unibo.it/ 10.6092/issn.2281-4485/11001
Perera, W.P.R.T., Dayananda, M.D.N.R. and Liyanage, J.A., 2020. Exploring the root cause for chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDU) via analysis of metal ion and counterion contaminants in drinking water: A study in Sri Lanka. Journal of Chemistry, 2020, pp.1-9.
Yatawara, M. and Dayananda, N., 2019. Use of corticolous lichens for the assessment of ambient air quality along rural–urban ecosystems of tropics: a study in Sri Lanka. Environmental monitoring and assessment, 191, pp.1-14. DOI: 10.1007/s10661-019-7334-2

ABSTRACTS/PROCEEDINGS

Exploration of Nephrotoxic Heavy Metal Contaminants in Edible Fish and Reservoir Sediments Linking with CKDu Prevalence of Sri Lanka, International Conference on Environmental Pollutants and Toxicants Affecting Health: Collaborative Efforts for Improving Quality of Life (2024). Organized by the Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT) (Program: Hub of Talents in Environmental Health with Support of the National Research Council of Thailand) at the CRI Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand. Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand.
Comparative Morphological Characterization of Selected Therapeutic Plant Spices of the Family Zingiberaceae, in the proceedings of 2nd International Research Symposium on Multidisciplinary Approaches in Indigenous Knowledge Systems (2024). Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine, Sri Lanka.
Assessing Nephrotoxic Heavy Metal Contamination in Reservoir Sediments: Implications for Human Health and Aquatic Ecosystems, in the proceedings of 2nd International Research Symposium on Multidisciplinary Approaches in Indigenous Knowledge Systems (2024). Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine, Sri Lanka.
Determination of Relationships between Heavy Metals in Food and CKDu Prevalence in Rideemaliyadda, Sri Lanka at International Research Symposium on Multidisciplinary Approaches in Indigenous Knowledge Systems 2022 in Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine (GWUIM), Sri Lanka.
Quantitative Analysis of Chronic Exposure to Nephrotoxic Heavy Metals via Model Diet Approach at International Research Symposium on Multidisciplinary Approaches in Indigenous Knowledge Systems 2022, in Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine (GWUIM), Sri Lanka.
Determination of Potential Toxic Heavy Metals and Quality in Soil in a Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu) Hotspot, Rideemaliyadda, Sri Lanka at International Research Symposium on Multidisciplinary Approaches in Indigenous Knowledge Systems 2022 in Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of indigenous Medicine (GWUIM), Sri Lanka.
Model Diet Approach for Quantitative Analysis of Nephrotoxic Heavy Metals to Elucidate the Dietary Causative Factors for CKDu Prevailing in Sri Lanka at International Conference on Multidisciplinary Approaches in Science 2021, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Assessment of health risk using the daily intake of nephrotoxic trace metals via drinking water: a case study in Rideemaliyadda-South, CKDu endemic area, Sri Lanka in the proceedings of the 4th Research Symposium (2021) of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences University of Ruhuna, Galle, Sri Lanka.
Comparative study of heavy metal contaminants in inland fish (Etroplus suratensis) during dry season in the proceedings of the 40th Annual Sessions (2020) of the Institute of Biology, Sri Lanka, at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka.
Effect of fertilizer application to the agricultural soil and the determination of soil to plant transfer coefficients of selected elements in the Proceedings of International Conference on Frontiers in Chemical Technology 2020”, Institute of Chemistry Ceylon, Rajagiriya, Sri Lanka.
Bioaccumulation of nephrotoxic metals in rice grains (Oryza sativa) and spatial distribution of metals in a CKDu hotspot via soil analysis in the proceedings of the International Conference on Frontiers in Chemical Technology 2020, Institute of Chemistry Ceylon, Sri Lanka.
Risk Assessment of Exposure to Toxic Metals via Drinking Water: A Study in Some CKDu Endemic Areas, Sri Lanka, in the proceedings of the International Conference on Environmental Monitoring and Management- (EMM 2020) at Centre for Environmental Studies, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
Is the long-term exposure to trace elements and fluoride the main factor for the prevalence of CKDu?, in the proceedings of the 7th Ruhuna International Science & Technology Conference 2020, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka.
Spatial Distribution of Nephrotoxic Heavy Metals in CKDu Prevalence Areas via Water Analysis, Sri Lanka from a preliminary study carried out for the CKDu prevailed areas (Ambagaswewa GND, Pollonnaruwa, Sri Lanka) in International Conference on Environmental Monitoring and Management, Postgraduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (2020).
Assessment of groundwater contamination with environmental toxicants in CKDu endemic area, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka in 4th International Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences (2019), Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka at Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
Risk assessment of nephrotoxic metal contaminations of rice (Oryza sativa) in a CKDu prevalence area, Sri Lanka, in the proceedings of the 20th International Postgraduate Research Conference (IPRC) – 2019, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
Contribution of Contaminated Sediments in Irrigatory Tanks to CKDu Prevalence; A Study in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka in the proceedings of the International Conference on Biodiversity and Environmental Management 2019 (BEM’19), Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Investigation of the spatial distribution of fluoride in drinking water sources in CKDu prevalence areas in Sri Lanka using GIS in the proceedings of the 4th International Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences- IRSPAS (2019). Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
Investigation of Spatial Distribution Patterns of Environmental Toxicants in Major Reservoirs, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka in the proceedings of 24th International Forestry and Environmental Symposium. (2019). University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka.
Spatial distribution of corticolous lichens with respect to ambient air quality in Kegalle urban council area, in the proceedings of the 38th Annual Sessions of the Institute of Biology, Colombo, Sri Lanka (2018).
Estimation of crop management factor and conservation support practice factor of RUSLE model to assess vulnerability to soil erosion in Kalu Oya and Mudun Ela basins using GIS, in the proceedings of International Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
Investigation of water consumption pattern in University of Kelaniya, International Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences 2016, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
Assessment of pollution in the St. Sebastian South canal, Orugodawaththa, a case study, in the proceedings of Undergraduate Research Symposium on Environmental Conservation and Management (2^nd URS-ENCM)– 2015, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.

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