Name: Gayan Pathirana

Country: Sri Lanka.

Objective: To become innovative, explore the dynamic nature of the oceans, and regard the improvements in the field of Oceanography as opportunities to learn and share while being professional and ethical towards the society.

Academics: I have completed (2009-2014) B.Sc. degree, specializing in Oceanography and Marine Geology at University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. And, M.Sc. degree (2016-2018) in Physical Oceanography (air-sea interactions) at State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, China.

I first became interested in Physical Oceanography when I started to learn physical oceanography during my second year (undergrad) and then during my undergrad thesis on coastal currents. Since then, my research work and discussions with my advisors confirmed my belief that this is the career which will enable me to be success.

Aside from my degrees, I have built upon my interest in this field in a number of ways. I have taken part in several research cruises including R/V Roger Revelle research cruise (2015) and R/V Shi Yan 3 research cruise (2018). I have attended several training courses in ocean modelling and data analysis at First Institute of Oceanography (FIO), at Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), at Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), at Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (ISRO), in India. Aside from this, I have also completed a great amount of independent research related to Air-Sea Interactions, which has given me a much more rounded view of the subject. I have presented several research findings in conferences and several papers are under review.

My goal is to be a research scientist in physical oceanography (air-sea interactions) and play an active role in the community. I believe the knowledge and skills built up since my undergrad up to now have given me an excellent foundation for building a career as a scientist. I am really interested in examining air-sea interaction processes in the tropical oceans and understanding their importance on weather extremes.