Prof. Jayantha Lal Ratnasekera reappointed VC for Uva Wellassa University
View(s):Professor Jayantha Lal Ratnasekera has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of Uva Wellassa University by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for a period of three years with immediate effect. Professor Ratnasekera has been serving as the Uva Wellassa University Vice Chancellor from February, 2017 to date.
Professor Jayantha Lal Ratnasekera had his primary education at Agrabodhi Vidyalaya, Kanthale, and secondary education at Nalanda College, Colombo. Professor Ratnasekera graduated from People’s Friendship University in Moscow in Russia with an honors degree in Chemistry in 1988. Subsequently, in 1993, he obtained his PhD in Chemistry from the same university.
Professor Ratnasekera joined the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka as a senior lecturer in August 1996, and was promoted to the post of professor in Chemistry in 2018. He had been the Rajarata University Physical Sciences Department Head for a period of three years (1996-1999), and the Applied Sciences Faculty Dean for a period of six years (1999-2005).
Professor Ratnasekera had served in three World Bank funded higher education and school education projects (i.e. IRQUE, HETC and TSEP) in different capacities, such as consultant on quality assurance, monitoring & evaluation specialist, deputy project director and project director. Thus, he has a wide knowledge and hands-on experience on the Sri Lankan higher education and school education systems.
His research interests are in the fields of renewable energy sources, environmental chemistry, theoretical chemistry, quality assurance in higher education, science education etc. He was awarded thePresidential Award for scientific publications published in 2016, and the National Research Council (NRC) Merit Award for scientific research published in 2017.
Professor Ratnasekera had contributed immensely for the development of quality assurance activities in the Sri Lankan University sector. He had served as a member of the standing committee on quality assurance for the University Grants Commission (UGC) for several years. He had also served as an international reviewer in external quality assessments in a number of universities in Bangladesh.
Professor Ratnasekera has been a trainer and a resource person in numerous training programmes and workshops. He is also well known as a freelance writer for newspapers, an author and a translator.