Panchamie Peduru Hewage Piyaratne

Background

Panchamie Piyaratne is a research student with an interdisciplinary background in environmental engineering, environment management and sustainability. She holds an MSc in Environmental Engineering from Cranfield University, United Kingdom, an MSc in Environment Management from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and a BSc (Hons) in Applied Sciences with a specialisation in Environment Management and Forestry from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka.

Her master's research at Cranfield University investigated the effectiveness of compost filter socks combined with phosphorus-sorbing materials and vegetation for protecting water quality, funded by Severn Trent Water. During her MSc in Environmental Engineering at Cranfield University, she participated in an industry-linked group project in partnership with Surveyar Ltd., investigating soil sampling techniques using Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS/drones). She has also researched wastewater treatment using aquatic and semi-aquatic plants for wastewater treatment in Sri Lanka and the influence of host species and agro-ecological variations on sandalwood seed oil production.

Prior to her research studies, Panchamie gained experience in higher education through teaching and research support roles at the University of Ruhuna and the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. She has delivered teaching in environmental sciences, biology, agriculture, chemistry, microbiology, and information technology, while supporting research and sustainability-related projects. Her professional experience also includes environmental auditing, certification, sustainability assessments, and environmental management systems through her work with Peterson and Control Union.

Her research aims to contribute to sustainable environmental management and the development of innovative solutions for addressing contemporary environmental challenges through interdisciplinary and applied research.

Research opportunities

- Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

- Environmental Engineering

- Environmental Sustainability

- Bioaerosols

- Environmental Microbiology

- Occupational Health and Safety

- Molecular Detection Techniques

- Water Quality Management

- Nature-Based Solutions

- Environmental Risk Assessment

- Pollution Prevention and Remediation

- Climate Change Adaptation

Current activities

Her current research focuses on the characterisation and molecular detection of bioaerosols across diverse ventilation systems in occupational indoor environments to support the development of a sustainable Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) management framework. The study investigates bacterial and fungal bioaerosol communities in office environments with varying ventilation strategies, occupancy levels, and exposure profiles. Using both culture-based and DNA-based molecular techniques alongside comprehensive environmental monitoring, the research aims to identify the relationships between microbial aerosols, ventilation performance, environmental conditions, and indoor air quality indicators.