Prof. Nimal Rajapakse

Senior Deputy Vice - Chancellor & Provost

Officers of the University | SLIIT

Career Summary

Dr. Nimal Rajapakse is currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology and a Professor of Civil Engineering. Dr. Rajapakse has extensive experience in academic administration, having served in administrative roles in four research universities in Canada.

He served as Head of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Manitoba from November 1997 to June 2000. He was the Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC) from 2000 to 2007. He was appointed in 2007 as Director of the Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems at UBC. Dr. Rajapakse was recruited to Simon Fraser University, Canada, in July 2009 as Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences. He served in that role until 2015. After that, he served as Vice-President (Research and International) of Carleton University, Canada.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

D.Eng. (Applied Mechanics) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1983
M.Eng. (Structures & Mechanics) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1981
B.Sc. Hons. (Civil Engineering - University of Sri Lanka (Katubedda), 1977

HONOURS AND AWARDS

Special Visiting Professor Award, Science Without Borders Program, CAPES Brazil, 2014-2018
Fellow, Engineering Institute of Canada, 2009
Meritorious Achievement Award, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia, 2005
Fellow, Canadian Academy of Engineering, 2002
Horst Leipholz Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Engineering Mechanics Research, Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, 2000
Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship, Humboldt Foundation of Germany, 1992-1993
Rh Award for Outstanding Contributions to Scholarship and Research in Applied Sciences, Rh Institute and University of Manitoba, 1991
Visiting Fellowship, Japan Society for Promotion of Science, 1990
King's Scholarship, Thai Government, 1981-1983
Open Scholarship, Asian Institute of Technology, 1979-1981

Research Interests and Memberships

Research Interests

Mechanics of nanomaterials and nanostructures
Geomechanics and elastic wave propagation
Smart materials and structures

Memberships

Vice-President and Member, International Association for Applied Mechanics
Member, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists
Member, American Academy of Mechanics

Ongoing Research

Properties of cementitious materials enhanced with nanomaterials
Atomic-scale finite element methods for nanomaterials and nanostructures
Topological design of 2D materials via molecular simulation and machine learning
Dynamic soil-structure interaction

My Publications

Journal Publications

Y. Huang, R.K.N.D. Rajapakse " "Practical stress solutions for single-edge V-notched tension specimen" " Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics, vol.102, 2019, pp.193 - 209, August 2019,
M. Liyanage, R. Miller and R.K.N.D. Rajapakse " First principles study of hydrogen in lead zirconate titanate " Smart Materials and Structures, 2019,
M. Liyanage, R. Miller and R.K.N.D. Rajapakse " Multiscale approach for determining hydrogen diffusivity in zirconium " Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering, vol.26, Issue 8, 2018,
M.A.N. Dewapriya and R.K.N.D. Rajapakse " "Atomistic and continuum modelling of stress field at an inhomogeneity in graphene" " Materials & Design, vol.160, 2018, pp.718-730,
Y Sapsathiarn and R.K.N.D. Rajapakse " Mechanistic Models for Nanobeams with Surface Stress Effects " J. Engineering Mechanics, vol.144, Issue 11, 2018,
D.A. Damasceno, E. Mesquita, R.K.N.D. Rajapakse and R.Pavanello " Atomic-scale finite element modelling of mechanical behaviour of graphene nanoribbons " International Journal of Mechanics and Materials in Design, Issue 01, 2018, 10.1007/s10999-018-9403-z,
M.A.N. Dewapriya, S.A. Meguid, R.K.N.D. Rajapakse " "Atomistic modelling of crack-inclusion interaction graphene" " Engineering Fracture Mechanics, vol.195, 2018, pp.92-103,
Y. Huang and R.K.N.D. Rajapakse " "A theoretical process-zone model for delayed hydride cracking initiation at a blunt V-notch" " Engineering Fracture Mechanics, vol.192, 2018, pp.262-275,
P. Kumari, A. Singh, R.K.N.D. Rajapakse and S. Kapuria " "Three-dimensional static analysis of Levy-type functionally graded plate with in-plane stiffness variation" " Composite Structures, vol.168, 2017, pp.780-791,
R.M.H. Khorasany, Y. Singh, A.S. Alavijeh, R.K.N.D. Rajapakse, E Kjeang " "In-situ simulation of membrane fatigue in polymer electrolyte fuel cells" " International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, vol.42, Issue 16, 2017, pp.11838-11844,