Ashani Savinda Ranathunga
Awards
About me
Dr Ashani Ranathunga is an Assistant Professor at the University of Leeds, UK, specialising in sustainable geotechnical engineering and inclusive education. A recipient of the 2022 OWSD–Elsevier Foundation Award and listed in the 2023 Asian Scientist 100, her research focuses on CO₂ geo-sequestration, waste valorisation, and transformative learning. She is a passionate advocate for sustainability and equity in engineering, actively contributing to the university’s Curriculum Redefined initiative to reshape education.
Dr. Ashani Ranathunga is an Assistant Professor (Teaching & Scholarship) in the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. Originally from Sri Lanka, she graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Ruhuna in 2013. She went on to complete her PhD in Geotechnical Engineering at Monash University in Australia in 2017. Her doctoral research focused on carbon dioxide geo-sequestration and enhanced methane recovery in deep coal seams, work that earned her the Best PhD Thesis Award and the Postgraduate Publication Award from Monash University.
Dr. Ranathunga’s academic and professional pursuits are closely aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially in the fields of climate action, sustainable consumption, and inclusive education. Her research covers several vital areas, including geosequestration of CO₂, enhanced coalbed methane recovery, and the valorisation of industrial and agricultural waste for sustainable geotechnical applications. She is also a dedicated educator and advocate for inclusive and transformative learning in engineering, with a strong emphasis on equity, accessibility, and lifelong learning.
Her contributions to science and education have been widely recognised. In 2022, she received the OWSD–Elsevier Foundation Award for Early Career Women Scientists in the Asia-Pacific region. She was also honoured with the Bright Spark Lecturer Award by the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) in 2020. She was named to the prestigious Asian Scientist 100 list in 2023, which celebrates the region’s most impactful researchers.
At the University of Leeds, Dr. Ranathunga serves as the School Academic Lead for Inclusive Pedagogies and plays a key role in the university’s “Curriculum Redefined” initiative. This programme aims to reshape higher education to be more inclusive, sustainable, and future-ready. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) and an active member of several professional organisations, including OWSD, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE, UK), the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL), the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE), and the Women’s Engineering Society (WES).
