RESUME
Education
experience​
Doctor of Philosophy (Anatomy with Medical Imaging)
University of Auckland
​2012 - 2016
​For my PhD project, I optimized a techinque called a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS) to study the postmortem brain, developed an analysis workflow, and implemented this method to detect the differential lipid expression in particular cortical and hippocampal sub-fields in Alzheimer’s disease. I completed this project under the supervision of A/Prof Maurice Curtis and Dr Angus Grey.
Master of Science (Biomedical Science; First Class Honours)
University of Auckland
​2011 - 2012
I completed my MSc under the guidance of A/Prof Maurice Curtis and A/Prof Henry Waldvogel at the Centre for Brain Research. For my thesis I investigated how the expression of a protein called neuropeptide Y changes in Huntington’s disease, in particular in an area of the human brain known as the subventricular zone, which is the site where new neurons are formed in the adult brain.​
Skills
Research:
MALDI-IMS
Immunohistochemistry
Cryosectioning
Postmortem brain processing for the brain bank
Confocal and bright-field microscopy
Western blot
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Other:
Academic writing and editing
Photoshop and design
Team and project management
Languages
Academic
experience​
Assistant Research Fellow
University of Auckland
​Jul 2016 - Dec 2016
Continuing on with the work from my PhD project I ​imaged lipid distribution in the postmortem human dentate gyrus, a site of adult neurogenesis, at a higher-resolution using a technique called a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS). I also investigated the distribution of lipids in the postmortem human olfactory bulb for the first time. Finally, I trialed methods to better control technical variation and quantify lipids.
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Undergraduate Teaching Assistant
University of Auckland
2011 - 2015
As a teaching assistant my responsibilities included the following: guiding and assisting students in undergraduate labs in physiology, anatomy, and neuroscience; invigilating tests and exams; and marking lab reports and final exams.​
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Maths and Science Tutor
North Shore Coaching College, Auckland
2012
My responsibilities included the following: teaching Grade 7 (11-year-old) and Grade 9 (13-year-old) students maths and science in small group classes according to a set curriculum; grading homework; and providing feedback on progress.
English
Sinhalese
Awards/
Fellowshipss
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2016: Image chosen for Brain and Behaviour Cover
One of the images in my recent publication was chosen as the cover image of the October issue of Brain and Behaviour
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2015: Best Science Communicator – Brainwaves Award 2015
Inaugural award for an early career researcher who has contributed significantly to communicate science with other researchers and with the public
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2015: Scientific Data writing competition winner
Awarded by the Nature Jobs blog for my piece entitled ‘Big Data: Collaborative Science’. Total of five prizes awarded internationally. Invited to attend the Publishing Better Science Through Better Data 2015 conference in London
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2014: Goddard Prize for Best Student Poster at the Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research
Awarded first place out of 66 poster presentations
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2014: Neurological Foundation Student Travel Grant
This grant helped cover my travel expenses to attend the Australasian Winter Conferences on Brain Research in Queenstown, NZ to present my findings
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2014–2016: The University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship
This scholarship is offered to candidates who have a strong academic record with a GPA of 8.0 (A) or above
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2014: New Zealand Foundation of Graduate Women Postgraduate Fellowship
National award, to the value of 10,000 NZD, granted to 14 women in 2014, based on academic merit and the quality of research proposal
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2013: Runner-up for the 2013 HDBuzz Prize for Young Science Writers
International award for my article entitled, ‘NUB1: enhancing clearance to decrease mutant huntingtin’
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2011: Faculty of Science Masters Award
Award recognizing academic merit for students completing an MSc