Dr. Malthi Padmaja

Senior Lecturer (Higher Grade)

School of Architecture | Architecture

Career Summary

Current Position -

Senior Lecturer (Higher Grade),

MSc program coordinator (Y1),

Research Coordinator ,

School of Architecture, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, Malambe

(01.12.2023– to date)

Senior Lecturer Grade II– Department of Architecture

Faculty of Built Environment and Spatial Sciences,

General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University

(01.09.2022– 30.11.2023)

Lecturer (Probationary) – A founder member of the Department of Architecture,

Faculty of Built Environment and Spatial Sciences,

General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University

(02.02.2015 to 31.08.2022)

Charted Architect- Since 2016 to date
Graduated Architect – Upendra Rajapaksha and Partners, Colombo (2013 -2015)
Junior Architect – Russell Dandeniya Charted (RDC) Architects, Colombo (2010 -2011)

Editor -In -Chief for the Journal of Built Environment, Faculty of Built Environment and Spatial Sciences, KDU (2023)
Curriculum Development and Review Committee (CDRC) – Member (2017-2018), FBESS, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University
Coordinator - Session for academic Staff on Research and Developement - Research Forum 2022 ,FBESS, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University
Internal Quality Assurance and Accreditation Cell (IQAAC)- Department coordinator (2022 to 2023), FBESS, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University
Faculty Coordinator, 9th KDU International research conference, Faculty of Built Environment and Spatial Science,KDU - 2016
Faculty Coordinator, 11th KDU International research conference, Faculty of Built Environment and Spatial Science,KDU – 2018
Coordinator for the Faculty website development ,FBESS, KDU, (2016 - 2018)
Rapporteur / Moderator of the Technical session (Architecture), KDU International Research Conference, 2022
Rapporteur / Moderator of the Plenary session, KDU International Research Conference, 2023
Judge panel member - FBESS Student Research Symposium (2024), KDU
Judge panel member - KDU International Research Symposium (2024), Faculty of Built Environment and Spatial Sciences

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

· Doctor of Philosophy – Department of Civil Engineering,

Construction Engineering & Management Division,

Faculty of Engineering,

University of Moratuwa (2022)

· B.Arch (Hons.) - Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, University of Moratuwa (2013) - 150 Credits - (05 Years) Second Class – Upper Division (GPA - 3.67)

Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education (CTHE), General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka (2018)
Certificate in Teaching methodologies in Higher Education (CTHE, SEDA (UK)), Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, Sri Lanka (2024)
Certificate in Data Analysis for Advanced Research, Institute of Applied Statistics, Sri Lanka (2021)
Certificate in Research Methodology and Scientific Writing, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka (2021)

HONOURS AND AWARDS

Research Interests and Memberships

Research Interests

Building Sciences- Thermal, Visual and Psychological comfort in buildings
Climate Responsive , energy efficient built environments
Sustainability & Energy-efficient retrofitting
Innovative material developments
Energy efficiency in Landscape Design
Interior Design and Urban Design
Computer-aided building comfort performance assessments
Decoding ancient architecture, materials and designs
Architecture aided Multidisciplinary research

Memberships

Charted Architect, Associate member of Sri Lanka Institute of Architects - AIA (SL) –CA 16293
Associate professional of Green Building Council of Sri Lanka - GAP (SL)
Research member of Architectural Science Association - (ANZAScA, Australia-New Zealand)

Memberships in SLIIT

- Member - Academic Misconduct Investigation Panel

- Member - Sustainable Campus Commitee

- Member - Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence

Ongoing Research

POSTGRADUATE – University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka

Co-Supervisor for the PhD research – “Decoding the ancient Sri Lankan clay ceramic technology; A case of glazed clay roofing tiles” - Reading

Mr. R. Amaratunga, (Senior Lecturer, Department of Quantity Surveying, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University), PhD candidate – Department of Civil Engineering,

Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa

Co-Supervisor for the PhD research - “Decoding the Sri Lankan Ancient Burnt Clay Brick Technology” - Reading

Ms. H. Jayathri, (Lecturer (Probationary), Department of Architecture, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University), PhD candidate – Department of Civil Engineering,

Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa

Co-Supervisor for the PhD research - “Decoding the ancient Sri Lankan clay firing technology; A case of transformative development of ancient pottery to a sustainable building material” - Reading

Mr. WDBJ Jeewananda, (Assistant Lecturer), Department of Quantity Surveying, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University), PhD candidate – Department of Civil Engineering,

Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa

My Publications

Books

Malthi Rajapaksha, R.U Halwatura " Patent No. 21422 (National Intellectual Property Office of Sri Lanka) A dynamic clay wall panel system for indoor cooling - Inventor ." 2021,

Journal Publications

G.H Galabada, Malthi Rajapaksha, F.R Arooz, Rangika U. Halwatura., " "Identifying the Impact of Concrete Specimens Size and Shape on Compressive Strength; A Case Study of Mud Concrete" " International Journal of Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, October 2019 (Indexed SCOPUS), vol.Vol. 9, Issue No. 5, 2019, Scopus ,
G. H. Galabada, Malthi Rajapaksha, Rangika Halwatura " "Paving Materials for Urban Heat Island Mitigation in Tropics; A Comparative Study on Mud Concrete Paving" " International Journal of Structural and Civil Engineering Research, August 2020 (Indexed SCOPUS), vol.Vol. 9, Issue No. 3, 2024, Scopus ,