BS - Biology, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka (2003)
PhD - Cell and Molecular Biology, Florida State University (2015)
Research Fellow - Auburn University (2015-2018)
Postdoctoral Research Scholar - University of Central Florida (2018-2020)
Postdoctoral Research Associate - University of Arizona (2020-2021)
My research focuses on,
1) The function of bacterial exopolysaccharides during root infection and symbiosis of nitrogen fixing bacteria Sinorhizobium meliloti and legume plant Medicago truncatula.
2) Importance of bacterial exopolysaccharides in biofilm formation.
3) Controlling invasive legume plants such as Kudzu (Pueraria montana) using biocontrol methods.
4) Molecular characterization of pathogenic Fusarium species in soybeans and evaluation of the effectiveness of cover crops to control Fusarium disease incidence.