I am a B.Sc (Hons) graduate in Medical Laboratory Sciences at University of Peradeniya. Since 2020 March, I have been working as Ph.D candidate at Diagnostic and Research Virology Laboratory (DRVL), University of Peradeniya. 

During my Ph.D, I have assisted undergraduate and postgraduate students in order to complete their laboratory based training and to complete their research projects from various backgrounds. I also have been working as a visiting lecturer at Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. I received University Research fellowship to support my Ph.D studies for three years and received registration grants from various conference organizers to present my research findings globally. During my Ph.D, I have been engaged in various activities including the translation of Scientific concepts from English to Tamil, a local language of an ethnic minority community. I also have contributed to the General public to get alert for Influenza, through my research findings. During the COVID-19, I have volunteered in the SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing at Virology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, as a part of National COVID-19 testing programme, Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka. 

Apart from my Ph.D, I have completed a certificate course in Psychology and basic Counselling skills at Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya and I have the ability to communicate in all three languages spoken in Sri Lanka. In my future, along with my academic and research career, I hope to contribute to mentor and support students facing barriers in their higher education and will work to make the education more accessible for students from resource limited backgrounds. I have also completed an online non-credit certificate course on “Implementation Research with a focus on Infectious Diseases of Poverty” offered by WHO and the knowledge I gained through this course will help me to carry out research in under privileged communities, who face challenges due to poverty.

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Shiyamalee ARUNASALAM
Shiyamalee ARUNASALAM
University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka