Department of Chemistry, University of Colombo

We warmly welcome all our new honours students 2026 (90 students for five programs) to the Department of Chemistry. ❤️❤️❤️

🏆 A new chapter begins at Colombo Chemistry

🏆 Introducing our 5th MSc programme
MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences Inaugural Batch August 2026

💎 Built on a strong multidisciplinary department with 26 PhD holders, excellent laboratories, and a new drug discovery lab in the pipeline, this programme goes beyond routine training.

💎 With a strong foundation in core science, it opens real pathways into drug discovery, drug delivery, industry, and academia.

Backed by

❤️ Strong links with the pharmaceutical industry
❤️ Industrial pharmacy laboratory in place
❤️ Strong academic support from UCL School of Pharmacy, UK (Top 10 in the world) with selected course delivery
❤️Special lectures by leading industry experts

💎 The programme is now advertised on the Faculty of Science website

💎Further details can be obtained as mentioned in the flyer

🏆One Team One Department: Team Chemistry

❤️❤️Yesterday, we stepped away from academic routines for a fun filled day together as one team. Academics, academic support staff, and our families, including children.

❤️❤️A successful department is built when everyone feels included, valued, and connected. Time spent beyond titles and formal roles creates trust, belonging, and genuine love for the department.

🏆Donation of essential items to Molecular Biology and Biotechnology lab

💎This project was Initiated by Chathuri Perera, Lankani Gunaratne, Vishmi Wanasinghe and Hasheena Rajapakse, past MBBC students of UOC.

💎The donation is worth over USD 2000 and about 40 alumni of UOC have contributed to this project.

❤️❤️Thank you everyone for this donation ❤️❤️

Our HoD will be delivering a speech on ‘From ideas to impact: Reframing Research for a Transformative World’ at NSBM Green University❤️

💎It was a pleasure hosting the delegation from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan, including the Head of the Department of Chemistry, Prof. Aneela Anwar.

💎HoD, Prof. Nalin de Silva had productive discussions on research collaboration, academic exchange, and future joint initiatives.

🏆Building a Department by Attracting the Best Minds

💎 Over the past two years, we have followed a very clear philosophy in developing the Department of Chemistry at the University of Colombo. Real excellence does not come from filling vacancies. It comes from attracting people with strong academic training.

💎Talented scientists/Lecturers move when they see vision, infrastructure, academic freedom and the potential for real growth. I am pleased to welcome three such outstanding lecturers who have chosen to leave well-established positions elsewhere and join us to help shape the next phase of Colombo Chemistry.

🏆Dr. Dimanthi Uduwela

BSc in Chemistry from the University of Peradeniya and PhD from the Australian National University. She was serving as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Peradeniya and is now joining Colombo to strengthen our teaching and research in organic chemistry, biochemistry and enzymology.

🏆Dr. Savini Bandaranayake

BSc in Computational Chemistry from the University of Colombo, PhD from The Ohio State University, USA, and postdoctoral research at Sandia National Laboratories, California. She has resigned from her position in the United States to return and build advanced capabilities in computational chemistry, photochemistry and spectroscopy at Colombo.

🏆Dr. Sanjeewa Rodrigo

BSc from the University of Peradeniya, PhD from the University of Cincinnati, postdoctoral research at the University of Kentucky, and former Senior Scientist at SLINTEC. He was serving as a Senior Lecturer at the Open University of Sri Lanka and has now resigned and chosen to bring his expertise in organic chemistry, materials and applied research to Colombo Chemistry.

💎These decisions were not easy for any of them. But people are willing to move when they see a department that is growing, investing in infrastructure, pushing research boundaries and creating real academic momentum.

💎During the past four years, we have recruited a diverse and highly capable group of young lecturers (around 15) into the department. Many of them will be featured in the coming weeks, as Colombo Chemistry continues to build a strong and future-ready diversified academic team. This is how universities are built. Not by chance, but by deliberately creating an environment where good people want to belong.

💎We warmly welcome all three to Colombo Chemistry. The journey ahead is exciting. ❤️❤️❤️

Chemistry Department secured six grants in 2025, from NSF and NRC totaling approximately Rs. 20+ million. Await for details. Two projects linked directly to the industry. 🏆🏆🏆