Rate My Professor Gayashika Fernando

Gayashika Fernando is a Lecturer at Curtin Colombo, Curtin University, and Senior Lecturer (Higher Grade) in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, at the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT). She earned her BSc (Hons) in Production Engineering from the University of Peradeniya, MEng in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from SLIIT, becoming the first woman to complete a PhD in SLIIT's Faculty of Engineering. Prior to her academic career, she held industry positions including Operation Specialist and CPP Coordinator at Dim Branded Apparel (Bethal CA Pvt Ltd) from 2007 to 2014, Productivity Manager at the Joint Apparel Association Forum from 2005 to 2007, and Production Engineer at Sri Toys International Pvt Ltd in 2005. She joined SLIIT as Lecturer in September 2014 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in December 2017.

Her research interests center on energy economics, energy modeling, and climate change mitigation, particularly in the context of Sri Lanka's energy sector, including pathways to near-zero carbon emissions, solar PV viability, transport emissions, and carbon tax policies. Notable publications include 'Achieving near-zero carbon dioxide emissions from energy use: The case of Sri Lanka' (Sustainable Production and Consumption, 2023, with GL Fernando et al.); 'Economic viability of solar PV for domestic applications in a middle-income country: A case study of Sri Lanka' (International Conference on Energy, Environment, 2020, with JK Wijesinghe et al.); 'Energy and Environmental Implications of Green House Gas Mitigation Policies in the Transport Sector of Sri Lanka' (ICUE 2018, with MH Liyanage and GN Samarasekara); 'The potential role of carbon tax in achieving the Paris agreement targets for a developing country: a case study of Sri Lanka' (ICUE 2020, with MH Liyanage); and 'Sustainable Energy Options for Sri Lankan Transport sector' (National Energy Symposium, 2019, with MA Ruzaik and MH Liyanage). She has presented at international conferences including ICUE in Thailand and contributed to discussions on contested energy futures at Petrocultures Perth 2024.