Dr Sajanee Hene Kapuralalage

Sajanee is a scholar in the field of Agricultural Sciences with more than 10 years of research, university teaching experience and community engagement activities related to farming and environmental issues. Sajanee completed her PhD at the University of New England Australia in 2021 and received the UNE Chancellor Doctoral Medal based on the recommendation of examiners for the outstanding quality of her PhD research. The PhD was undertaken with a prestigious international scholarship grant (Endeavour Postgraduate Scholarship) awarded to her by the Australian Government. Sajanee holds a Bachelor’s Degree (BSc) in Agricultural Sciences (Specialized in Horticulture) from Sabaragamuwa University, Sri Lanka and a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) Degree in Crop Science from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. She received a postgraduate research award for her MPhil research from the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS) in 2012.

Sajanee began her scientific and academic career at Sabaragamuwa University, Sri Lanka, as a Demonstrator and an Assistant Lecturer, from where she joined Uva Wellassa University (UWU) Sri Lanka, as a Lecturer in 2012.  She has been working as a casual demonstrator and lecturer in the Agronomy and Soil Science discipline at UNE since 2018. In these roles as a lecturer, she has successfully supervised undergraduate students and coordinated undergraduate courses in Agricultural and Environmental sciences. Sajanee was also a key UNE team member in the annual Australian Soil Judging Competition in 2018-2019 during her PhD studies at UNE. She is currently a Postgraduate Research Fellow in Pasture Nutrition at the University of New England, Australia.

Sajanee has also served on several committees in her past universities as a coordinator, Student Counsellor and Academic-sub warden. Beyond her teaching and research experiences, Sajanee has been invited by Government institutes (Secondary Schools) and Internationally funded NGOs as a resource person for students, teachers, agricultural instructors and farmers training programs.