Rate My Professor Shiromi Karunaratne

Shiromi Karunaratne is a Professor in Civil Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), Malabe, Sri Lanka, since September 2020. She holds a BSc Eng. (Hons) in Civil Engineering from the University of Moratuwa (1994), M.Eng. (1998) and Ph.D. (2001) in Environmental Science and Human Engineering from Saitama University, Japan. Her professional journey includes roles as Civil Engineer at Environmental Engineering Consultants and Itochu-Corporation consortium (1994-1996), Instructor at University of Moratuwa (1994), Research Assistant and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Saitama University (1996-2003), Senior Lecturer and Head of Department of Earth Resources Engineering at University of Moratuwa (2004-2015), Head of Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at SLIIT (2013-2014), and Senior Lecturer at SLIIT (2015-2020).

Professor Karunaratne's research focuses on sustainable consumption and production in engineering, including life cycle assessment, sustainable construction materials, recycling, reuse, and cleaner production. Additional areas include water and wastewater treatment and sanitation using low-cost technologies, sustainable water usage, irrigation efficiency, climate impact on resources, and solid/construction waste reuse and management. Key publications encompass the book "Minimum Standards and Guidelines for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Preschools - A manual" (2015, co-authored with Neil Thalagala), book chapter "Effective Sizing of Natural Systems for Grey Water Treatment Using Locally Derived Parameters" (ICSBE 2018, 2019), and peer-reviewed papers such as "Shoot re-growth and age specific rhizome storage dynamics of Phragmites australis subjected to summer harvesting" (Ecological Engineering, 2004), "Global warming potential of English brick manufacturing in Sri Lanka: A cradle to gate analysis" (2021), "Building‑SAT: a whole building life cycle assessment tool framework to quantify the global warming potential of buildings in South Asian Region" (2024), and "Construction and Demolition Waste Management: Bottlenecks, Regulations, and Policy Framework" (2024). She has been awarded Monbukugakusho Scholarships by the Japanese Government (1996 for Master's, 1998 for PhD) and a Postdoctoral Fellowship for Foreign Researchers by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (2001). She is a Chartered Member of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL), Institute of Practising Environmental Professionals Sri Lanka (IEPSL), and member of the Sri Lanka Association for Advancement of Science (SLAAS).