Ms. Thiwanga Nirmani Withana
Type: Research Student
Thiwanga Nirmani Withana holds a B.Sc. (Honours) degree in Agriculture with first-class honors, specializing in Agricultural Biology, from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka, and reading a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) in Applied Microbiology, with a focus on mycology, from the Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka and worked as a temporary demonstrator and volunteer researcher in Agricultural Biology, from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jaffna and Department of bioprocess Technology Rajarata University Sri Lanka.
She is currently working on an ongoing project titled “Diversity, Taxonomy & Phylogenetic Characterization of Freshwater Fungi from Anuradhapura District in Sri Lanka: Exploring Their Agricultural and Industrial Applications.” The project specifically aims to investigate the taxonomy and phylogeny of freshwater fungi in Sri Lanka, with emphasis on aquatic endophytes and plant debris-associated species, and to assess their potential applications in industry.
Her mycology research experience contributed to the field through the publication of three abstracts in mycology, and she plans to prepare the manuscripts for submission to high-indexing peer-reviewed journals.