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With a passion for chemistry from my A/L's, I always wanted to be a Chemical and Process Engineer when I got selected to the University of Moratuwa. But with my time in the department, I realized that chemical engineering is not chemistry but also a broader discipline related to each and everything we use in our day-to-day lives. The fundamentals of Chemical and Process Engineering are applied in almost all industries even though they are not significantly visible to the outside. From simple mass and energy balance to more complex situations, from simple process controls to advanced process controllers, modeling and simulations and many more all lie in here.
The curriculum for this degree program is well developed to enhance the way of thinking of undergraduates towards the thinking of a professional engineer. The academic staff of the department works their best to share their knowledge with undergraduates in an unbelievably friendly manner. That guidance helped me a lot throughout my undergraduate degree program. A well-guided industrial exposure through industrial training helped me a lot to understand the gap between theoretical knowledge that we gain in the university and the practical applications of those in real-life. With the evolving technologies, it creates a gap between current technologies and future technologies so chemical and process engineering has good research potential to fill up those gaps to change the future of the world for the betterment.
So Being a Chemical and process engineer will provide you with a solid career path either in academia or industry.
After hearing about the unfortunate story of the identification of toxic heavy metals in Sri Lankan rice, I obtained my inspiration for being a food researcher. Since food engineering is one subarea under Chemical and Process Engineering and knowing about the friendly culture in DCPE, I selected this field without any hesitation. It was the turning point of my journey where I learnt many things, developed both technical and personal skills and met a supportive community.
I graduated from DCPE with a specialization in Food and Biochemical Engineering. After working at GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals and IFS Sri Lanka, I was fortunate to join DCPE as a lecturer for one year. There I gained good academic exposure and great opportunities. Currently, I am a second-year PhD student at NTU under the Food Science Technology program and researching on sensory properties of mushrooms for the potential as a meat alternative.
Chemical and Process Engineering is a field with the scope of “microchips to potato chips” where you can fly beyond the limits. “Love what you do; do what you love!”
career as an engineer. The four years spent at the department imbued me with a wide spectrum of knowledge and skills, which prepared me for pursuing a doctoral degree in Biological Engineering. At the end of my undergraduate degree, I was able to obtain the gold medal for the highest GPA in DCPE, which I believe is a great achievement. During my years as a graduate student, I have been able to engage in research projects in a variety of areas including drug delivery, enzyme kinetics and molecular simulations. The fundamentals learned at DCPE allowed me to successfully work over multiple research areas. Also, it allowed me to look at the research problems in an engineering perspective and see how research can be applied to provide solutions to real life problems.
Department of Chemical and Process Engineering equips its undergraduates with a broad range of knowledge, which allow them to successfully transition into a career path they desire, such as industry or academia or entrepreneurship. Also, our department is blessed with a highly qualified and experienced academic staff who has the potential to bring the best out of students, in both academic and professional aspects. Developing a versatile skillset including technical, critical thinking, communication, and leadership skills to go along with that knowledge would enable DCPE graduates to excel in whatever career they choose.
The Chemical and Process Engineering curriculum provided me with a thorough understanding of the Process Engineering industry. The vast knowledge acquired through different modules in this amazing curriculum always helped me to cross the border between Process Engineering and Nuclear Engineering. It is not only the curriculum that made me confident but the dedicated staff at the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering who made us logical thinkers and helped to develop our confidence to apply the knowledge in different applications.
Not like other Engineering disciplines, Chemical and Process Engineering never frame the graduates to a certain number of options, and it is not an exaggeration to say you have limitless options. The knowledge and experience gained through the program are almost applicable in any industry in the world. It provides a strong base to build one's career in their respective field of expertise.
The chemical and process engineering program of university of Moratuwa, equipped me with knowledge and confidence to explore new horizons of academic and professional life. It is a very broad discipline which enables one to enter and sustain in numerous different fields. As for me, it opened doors for a career in product development in the apparel sector and then for an academic career with research opportunities in nanotechnology and sustainable energy generation. It also gave me the ability to work closely with international and government organizations related to environmental health and safety and sustainability, such as the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The friendly and supportive environment of the department helped me immensely to enhance my interpersonal, communication and team working skills which later became very beneficial for my professional career. Further the entrepreneurial and business knowledge transferred through the academic program prepared me to work and in a changing business environment. In conclusion, if someone is really into the big picture and willing to take up challenges in many different fields, this engineering branch is for you!
Being admitted to the DCPE at UoM was a turning point in my life. It helped me to develop myself as a well-rounded professional. The program is unique, and it empowers graduates to venture into diverse career paths.
Among many other skills, I honed the skill to think critically during the program. This helped me a lot to thrive my first career in the IT industry for seven years. After, I’ve got selected for a competitive engineering M.Sc. program in Europe. I am confident that the CPE program and the grades on my resume carried a lot of weight to help me in the selection process.
Currently, I am employed in an innovative company that invented the first dairy centrifugal separator. The vast experience and exposure I’m gaining there in different roles is a dream come true.
CPE graduates are well equipped to take on any challenge anywhere in the world. And the world is full of opportunities. It’s up to us to seize them and discover new dimensions in our professional lives.
Accomplishing my childhood dream, I graduated from DCPE in 2005 as a Chemical Engineer. The depth and breadth of the curriculum helped me develop numerous skills and technical curiosity to explore untapped territories in Science and Technology. After gaining industrial and academic exposure, I moved to UK for my PhD in Chemical Engineering. After my post-doc, I joined P&G in Japan where I had the opportunity to apply all my expertise in unit operations and transport phenomena in developing manufacturing processes for cosmetics. After spending nearly a decade in Chemical Engineering as a student, Engineer and Scientist, I decided to learn something different.
I am now working as a lead Skin Scientist, leveraging image analytics and data science in redefining skin biology to develop new skin care solutions. My passion has always been to learn and master - which led me to embark on an exciting career journey - at least- so far.
World is changing faster than ever so are the skills for future. My advice is to learn and excel in digital skills such as modelling and simulation, data science, coding to develop creative solutions to complex problems in the digital era. ‘Follow your passion, embrace changes and never stop learnings’
Inspired by my beloved father who was “a backyard inventor” of his own style, I got my first footholds in technology right at the start. I was then able to spearhead my career through obtaining the bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Process Engineering (CPE), while being awarded as the Best CPE Graduand (2002) at University of Moratuwa. After completing two master’s degrees as well, I obtained my doctoral degree from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
After working as a Postdoctoral Researcher and as an Assistant Professor for several years at USN, I moved into the Oil & Gas industry by joining Agility Group Norway in 2012 and then continued to stay in the industry as a Senior Engineering Consultant and as a Discipline Lead within the arena of Process Safety Design, Technical Safety, and Environmental Management.
I found CPE as an inspiring field that not only aided my own professional career but also empowered me to serve the society in a broader manner via knowledge dissemination and advocating scientific methodology. I highly encourage all CPE graduates to bestow part of your professional life to serve the society as thought-leaders and influencers as you are well qualified for that role.
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 From my school days, I was curious about how people change various materials to make innovative useful products. After my schooling, I entered the faculty of Engineering, at the University of Moratuwa in search of learning how to design and transform the raw materials via value addition to finished products. Then, I found that Chemical and Process Engineering is the best option for me to explore my dreams.
I was desirous on learning the fundamentals of Chemical and Process Engineering and was able to obtain a first-class honors degree with a minor specialization in Entrepreneurship. Then, I had a great desire to widen my knowledge further, and I started my postgraduate studies at Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST) after briefly serving at the department as a graduate instructor.
Currently, I am a prestigious awardee of the Hong Kong Ph.D. Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) at the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology. I am focusing on developing novel models to predict the functional behavior of biomolecular systems more efficiently and affordably using Molecular Dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations.
Although the world trends are dynamic, if you follow your passion with dedication, there are plenty of doors willing to open for you to be an expert in the field of your choice!
 I currently work in the capacity of a Regional Management Trainee-Operation Management for Stretchline Holdings which is a part of the MAS group. I am currently based in Indonesia and will be transferred to the operations in China by the end of the year. Although I am technically not working along the traditional lines of what a Chemical & Process Engineering degree stipulates the amount of relevance is quite high. I was previously working at GSK also as a management trainee.
The best thing about the Chemical and Process Engineering at UOM is that the options it opens are limitless. You can find relevance to almost any industry in at least a few subject matters. This comes as a huge advantage when approaching the job market as it does not limit you to a small number of companies. Especially working in the manufacturing sector Unit Operations, Heat and Mass transfer etc., are subject matter that come in handy at any point in time. Apart from that soft skills improvement is definitely a big advantage in standing out in the job market.
 Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Moratuwa was the place which laid the foundation for my career as an engineer. The four years spent at the department imbued me with a wide spectrum of knowledge and skills, which prepared me for pursuing a doctoral degree in Biological Engineering. At the end of my undergraduate degree, I was able to obtain the gold medal for the highest GPA in DCPE, which I believe is a great achievement. During my years as a graduate student, I have been able to engage in research projects in a variety of areas including drug delivery, enzyme kinetics and molecular simulations. The fundamentals learned at DCPE allowed me to successfully work over multiple research areas. Also, it allowed me to look at the research problems in an engineering perspective and see how research can be applied to provide solutions to real life problems.
Department of Chemical and Process Engineering equips its undergraduates with a broad range of knowledge, which allow them to successfully transition into a career path they desire, such as industry or academia or entrepreneurship. Also, our department is blessed with a highly qualified and experienced academic staff who has the potential to bring the best out of students, in both academic and professional aspects. Developing a versatile skillset including technical, critical thinking, communication, and leadership skills to go along with that knowledge would enable DCPE graduates to excel in whatever career they choose.
 My Childhood dream to become a desalination expert to solve water crisis in Sri Lanka. So, I have selected Chemical and Process engineering to establish my career in water sector, after completing my degree in 2015, I have joined with Industrial solutions Lanka (pvt) ltd. Joining with new startup has helped me to explore more challenges and it has helped me to learn lot.
The Knowledge I have gained in Process Engineering has helped me to develop well-refined solution to my end client. I have developed system for Sri Lanka’s Leading Milk Processing Industries, Apparel Industries, Pharmaceutical Industries, Rice Mill Industries, Electro-plating industries, Rubber Industry, Coconut based industry, Dye Processing Industry, Leather and Tanning Industry and Ink based industry etc.
After Completing Training program on Designing of Advanced Water Treatment plant using Membrane Technologies at IHE Delft, I have designed and developed Sri Lanka’s First Zero Liquid Discharge Facility for pharmaceutical Industry.
Fundamental given by CPE in Process engineering is key of my success, which has helped me to design and develop more 300 Industrial effluent Treatment Plants and where I treat minimum 5,000,000 m3 wastewater annually. I wish all CPE graduate to follow your passion it will leave you to your purpose.
 Chemical and process engineering is a vast subject among all the engineering disciplines in the world. It consists with various topics including unit operations, fluid dynamics, transport phenomena, polymers, environmental science, food and bio process etc. Acquiring knowledge about these subject areas would make us possible to showcase our abilities and talents in most of the available manufacturing fields in the industry. But somehow as we all know Sri Lanka is very much deviating from manufacturing and focusing on importing, which is a considerable threat to fresh chemical engineering graduates when it's come to job hunting. But still, it is somewhat manageable because of wide range of applications that we are thorough about during undergraduate period. However, it is a known fact that 'education is what is remaining inside you after you forget all academic stuff from your head' or in other words 'it's not about what you learn but it's all about the process of learning'. Ultimately 4 years of university period is transforming you in to a person that has the capacity of thinking new, accepting challenges and focus until you achieve targets.
In Sri Lankan context we chemical engineers have a big role to play to strengthen the manufacturing processes and do massive value addition with zero unused waste. Therefore, investing on a such production facility even in very small scale will energize Sri Lankan economy and also it will be a huge motivation to the next chemical engineering generation. As I mentioned earlier getting an employment of a company is not a massive challenge until now but there is a competition which is increasing day by day. Therefore, we as senior chemical engineers hold a responsibility on addressing that issue without getting used to the comfort zone of doing only a job.
As per my own experience female chemical engineers do have an extra difficulty in finding a job and also retaining on the job. The reason is not mainly the abilities or the performance of a lady engineer, but the narrow mindset of Sri Lankan society. As a result, female engineers might get highly demotivated in job culture. They start to feel less than a male engineer due to lack of empowerment and prohibiting of the opportunities to grow. Sometimes they get stuck with only documentation work which is even more depressing. So here I suggest it is always great to become an entrepreneur with engineering skills and knowledge rather than depending only on monthly pay cheque. Nevertheless, there is a huge risk factor accompanied when starting a business when it’s come to return on investment (ROI) and payback time. Also selecting the type of business, funding, planning the location and set up the facility, investing on energy supplies etc. are always the questions that should be answered. But engineers naturally have the ability to come up with solutions to problems also they are trained to make contacts in between fellow engineers. I can provide lots of examples for companies started from scratch with batch mate partnerships and still thriving in the industry. So, the gain of investing on such process is much more effective with time than just hanging on a job.
In conclusion, it can be said that chemical engineers do have a responsibility to initiate new manufacturing facilities or production processes to convert raw materials in to value added products, not just to support the Sri Lankan economy but to encourage fresh graduates blooming to world every year. Eventually we can retain good brains within the country and make Sri Lanka a wonderful place to live.
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