Prof Jagath Manatunge from the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa has received the prestigious “Most Outstanding Senior Researcher in the field of Technology and related Science including Engineering, Architecture, Quantity Surveying and Information Technology” offered by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Directors Sri Lanka (CVCD). CVCD awards are the most prestigious and once-in-a-lifetime awards given once in two years to the most prolific academics in Sri Lanka to honour their outstanding contributions. CVCD was established in 1979 under the Universities Act as an advisory body to the University Grants Commission and it comprises 17 Vice-Chancellors of State universities and three rectors of university campuses.
Prof Manatunge is a Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa. He has a BSc Honors First Class Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, an MSc and a Diploma in Environmental Technology from Imperial College, University of London and a Doctoral Degree from Saitama University, Japan.
He is a Corporate Member of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka, a Member of the Institute of Environmental Professionals in Sri Lanka and a Passed Finalist of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK. He is also a Member of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society, The Japan Society of Limnology, Japan Society for the Water Environment, and Asia Pacific Association of Hydrology and Water Resources.
He is a member of the Board of Management of Postgraduate Institute of English, Open University (OUSL), Chairman of the Advisory Committee for China-Sri Lanka Joint Research Centre of the Ministry of Water Supply, Advisor on Environmental Policy Research of the Center for East Asian Development Studies, Japan. He is currently the Editor of Annual Transactions of the IESL and a member of the Editorial Boards of the Journal of the National Science Foundation and the IESL.
He is a recipient of a prestigious Chevening Award administered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK. He also has received a Monbukagakusho Scholarship, a postdoctoral research fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), and a teaching fellowship from Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) held at the University of Tokyo. He has also worked at Saitama University, Japan as an Assistant Professor for three years, and as a visiting academic at several other universities in Sri Lanka and abroad.
His research interests include water pollution control, restoration and management of surface water bodies, and topics related to water technology. He has published widely in indexed journals and made numerous presentations at international and local conferences. He has received many Outstanding Research Awards from the University of Moratuwa and Presidential Awards for Research.
Prof. Manatunge has provided his services as an expert/specialist in the civil and environmental engineering fields. He has worked for the World Bank and the ADB in many projects directly or through consultancy companies. He has rendered his expertise to many governmental organizations: Ministry of Environment, Urban Development Authority, Central Environmental Authority, Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Councils, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Water Supply, etc. He has conducted many technical and feasibility studies for large-scale infrastructure projects, notably roads, railways, water resources development and industrial facilities. He has contributed widely to formulating policy documents and national regulations and preparing Master Plans for many major cities and national institutions.
