Sunday Times 2
Rajarata scientist wins National Award for popularising science and technology
View(s):Dr. Faiz Marikkar received this year’s Prof M.T.M Jiffry Memorial Award – a National Award — at a BMICH ceremony organised by the National Science Foundation for popularising science and technology .
Dr. Marikkar receiving award from Technology and Research Minister Champika Ranawake
He also received Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Sri Lanka (TOYP) award for his outstanding academic accomplishment.
An old boy of St. Aloysius College, Galle, Dr. Marikar is one of the most experienced scientists in molecular biology in the country. He is currently the Head of the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences of the University of Rajarata.
He holds a B.Sc., (Hons) from the University of Ruhuna. He read part of his postgraduate degree at the University of Sheffield before moving to the University of Nanjing in China. He holds an MSc., PhD. and DSc. from the University of Nanjing.
Dr. Marikar was offered a Fulbright Fellowship during which he was at the University of John Hopkins and simultaneously received an opportunity to work with the University of Harvard. Dr. Marikar received an honorary Post Doctorate from the University of Colombo when he returned to the Island. He has a vast amount of published work, among which are scientific books and articles that can be seen in the Science Citation Index including Science and Nature.
He is the pioneer of the SLIIT journal and the English-Chinese-Sinhalese dictionary. He was awarded the Presidential Award in 2001 and was also honoured with two NBQSA awards by the British Computer Society. This year he was placed first at the Jiangsu Provincial Awards for Science and Technology.
Dr. Marikar’s research interests include plant pathology, tissue culture, human cancer genetics, plant genetics, bacterial genetics, and fly (Drosophila spp) genetics.