Dr. Kosala Ranathunge is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Western Australia. Born and raised in Sri Lanka, he obtained his BSc (Hons) in Agricultural Biology from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and his PhD in Plant Physiology and Phytochemistry from the University of Bayreuth, Germany, in 2005. His career includes a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Waterloo, Canada (2006); a prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship and Research Associateship at the University of Bonn, Germany (2007-2011); and a Research Associateship at the University of Guelph, Canada (2012-2016). In 2016, he joined the University of Western Australia, where he was awarded an ARC Future Fellowship in June 2017 to investigate phosphorus-efficient mechanisms in Australian native plants. He currently supervises PhD students and holds roles such as Graduate Research Coordinator, Radiation Safety Officer, and Chair of the School's Health and Safety Committee.

Ranathunge's research centers on the efficient phosphorus-acquiring and utilizing strategies of iconic Australian native plants, particularly Proteaceae, adapted to phosphorus-impoverished, weathered soils. His interests include plant stress physiology under abiotic stresses (salinity, drought, waterlogging, osmotic stress, heavy metals, nutrient stress) and biotic stresses (pathogens); plant ecophysiology; anatomy and histochemistry; molecular biology; and biochemistry. Key projects encompass phosphorus-efficient Australian plants for crop improvement, silicon-mediated salt tolerance in barley genotypes, functional roles of root components in rice nutrient uptake, and mechanisms of phosphorus acquisition versus mycorrhiza involvement in pathogen defense in Proteaceae. Notable publications include "Biochemical phosphorus allocation is linked to photosynthetic phosphorus-use efficiency in a phosphorus-impoverished environment" (New Phytologist, 2026); "Pasteurisation of soil from an extremely phosphorus-impoverished habitat increases phosphorus availability and enhances the growth of Agonis flexuosa (Myrtaceae)" (Plant and Soil, 2026); "Water and solute permeabilities of Arabidopsis roots in relation to the amount and composition of aliphatic suberin" (Plant Physiology, 2011); and "Soybean Root Suberin and Partial Resistance to Root Rot Caused by Phytophthora sojae" (Phytopathology, 2008). His work has secured ARC funding, including the Future Fellowship and Discovery Projects.

Professional Email: kosala.ranathunge@uwa.edu.au