Research & Grants

Research Interest

  • Broad research interests in effects of food and nutrition on disease risk and human health: Micronutrient deficiencies in children, adolescents and women, Metabolism of micronutrients particularly folate and iron, Modulation of disease risk factors through dietary modification, Novel biochemical risk markers and genetic polymorphisms of cardiometabolic disease risk, Development and validation of tools for portion size estimation of Asian foods, Dietary contaminants and health, Food promotion and food environment

Research Grants

  • Principal Investigator and country coordinator for Sri Lanka in the multi-country study on ‘Comparing the extent and nature of unhealthy food and drink TV marketing to girls and boys across nine countries in Asia (109170)
  • Financial Support: International Development Research Center (IDRC), Canada • Co-investigator ‘Functional Alginate-TiO2-Graphene Oxide Nanohybrids to Minimize the Post-harvest Loss of Fruits and Vegetables’ 19-237 RG/CHE/AS_G – FR3240310129 Financial Support: The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) `{`USD 35,980.00`}` Ongoing
  • Co-investigator, “An exploratory study on environmental, medicinal, genetic and dietary determinants of chronic kidney disease of uncertain aetiology based on postmortem tissue analysis” Financial Support: National Science Foundation, Sri Lanka (RPHS/2016/CKDu 03), 2017 February to date.
  • Principal Investigator, “Investigation into circulatory un-metabolismed folic acid in folic acid supplemented pregnant women and their offspring” Financial Support: National Research Council, Sri Lanka (NRC 15-036), 2015 September to date `{`Rs. 4,765,500.00`}`
  • Principal investigator, “Lipid metabolism in different adipose tissue deports in pregnant and non-pregnant women” Financial Support: University of Colombo Small Grant Scheme, 2016-to 2018. `{`Rs. 500,000.00`}`
  • Co-investigator, “Micronutrient status, obesity related biomarkers of inflammation, cardiometabolic risk markers and body composition in pre-pubertal school children”. Financial Support: National Science Foundation, Sri Lanka (RG/2014/HS/09), 2014 July to 2018 (completed). `{`Rs. 5,379,579.00`}`
  • Co-investigator, “Effects of vitamin A and iron supplementation during first 24 months of life in an urban area of Sri Lanka”. Financial Support: National Science Foundation, Sri Lanka (RG/2011/HS/14), 2012 to 2017 (completed). `{`Rs. 3,548,724.00`}`
  • Co-investigator, Development and validation of tools to aid portion size assessment in the Sri Lankan adolescent diet. January 2006 to 2013.
  • Principal investigator, Sodium and potassium intake in a group of healthy young women in Sri Lanka, 2012 to 2013.
  • Co-investigator, “Evaluation of inflammatory markers and Methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase 677C-T genotype in women with, or without coronary artery disease (CAD)”. Financial Support: National Science Foundation, Sri Lanka (RG/2007/HS/06), 2008 to 2011. `{`Rs. 1,716,500.00`}`
  • Ph.D project - Folate and homocysteine in urban adolescent girls and women, and the effect of nutrition counselling on folate and homocysteine in women with and without CAD. Financial Support: IAEA, Vienna. 2004 to 2009.