Prof. Lakshman Samaranayake Research Excellence Award

The Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, is proud to announce that Prof. Kushan Kalmith Wijesundara has received the Prof. Lakshman Samaranayake Research Excellence Award, presented at iPURSE 2026.

The award was endowed by Prof. Lakshman Samaranayake, distinguished alumnus of the University. It recognises research at the highest international level. Candidates are assessed on their research grants (including the prestige of the funding bodies and the size of the awards), publications in high-impact journals, h-index and citations, patents, and wider impact such as policy contributions and innovations.

Prof. Wijesundara’s research is in Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, with a strong focus on computational mechanics. His work includes:

• Developing force-based and virtual element formulations for nonlinear structural analysis.
• Modelling structures under extreme loads such as earthquakes, wind, impact and blast.
• Advancing direct displacement-based seismic design.
• Building constitutive models for Ultra-High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC).

The Department extends its heartfelt congratulations to Prof. Wijesundara on this remarkable achievement.