• I retired  as the Chair/ Senior Professor from the Department of Zoology & Environment Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, where I served  for 29 years as a lecturer cum biomedical researcher.
• My area of expertise is in Basic Immunology.
•  By collaborating with interdisciplinary teams of scientists I strive to conduct transdisciplinary research.
• I am with SLIIT to lead the proposed BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences programme.

Faculty of Science, University of Colombo.

• BSc (Biological Sciences) 1980
•  MSc (Nuclear Science) 1984

Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo

• PhD (Immuno-Parasitology) 1990

[Post Doctoral Training:

Tree Physiology & Biotechnology Laboratory, Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Canada

• Visiting fellow (1992-1994)

• Post-doctoral fellow (1990-1992)

• [Both fellowships were awarded by the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada.]

• 2006               Excellence in Research - Merit award in                            Biotechnology for 2004                         Awarded by the National Science Foundation, Sri Lanka
• 2004 & 2006   Presidential Research Awards
•   2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019                        President’s Award for Scientific Publication
• 2010, 2017,2018   National Research   Council Merit Awards
• 2014                Award for Excellence in Research, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo.
• 2014                Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science, General Research Committee Award (Lifetime award for excellence in research carried out in Sri Lanka)
• 2016                  Senate Award for Research Excellence (Commendation), University of Colombo
• 2017, 2020, 2021   Senate Award for Research Excellence, University of Colombo
• 2019       Support Scheme for supervision of Research Degrees (SUSRED) Award 2017 -National Science Foundation, Sri Lanka for the supervision of Dr. U A Jayawardhane on her PhD thesis titled “Toxic effects of selected heavy metals, as xenobiotics on Euphlyctis hexadactylus (Indian green frog) in a polluted urban wetland, Bellanwila Attidiya sanctuary, in Sri Lanka
• 2020        The Best Publication  by a Physician in 2019 awarded by the Ceylon College of Physicians awarded to Prof. Thashi Change for the paper authored by Dilini Rathnayake, Thashi Chang and Preethi Udagama for the paper titled “Selected serum cytokines and nitric oxide as potential multi-marker biosignature        panels for Parkinson disease of varying durations: A case-control study”.
• 2021       SUSRED Award 2019, National Science Foundation, Sri Lanka for the supervision of                      Dr. C D Jayasinghe on her PhD thesis titled “Haematological, immunomodulatory and                           cancer chemo preventive activities of the mature leaf concentrate of Carica papaya L   Sri Lankan wild type cultivar”
• 2023        SUSRED Award 2021, National Science Foundation, Sri Lanka for the supervision of Dr. V LK Udalamaththa on her PhD thesis titled “Proliferative, differentiation and toxicological effects of selected herbal preparations on in-house established human mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cell lines".

CITATION INDICES

I have to date published 81  research papers, a majority in international peer reviewed journals, four   international book chapters, 257 scientific communications presented at local (200) and international (57) conferences, and awarded six national patents, and developed a patented product (Botanical wound healing cream) collaborating with industry.