Keynote Speaker
Dr. Bavisha Kalyan
Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia
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Dr. Bavisha Kalyan (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on building equitable community-academic partnerships to understand contaminant exposure in vulnerable communities. Her previous work measured holistic lead exposure (water, paint, soil, dust) through a community science campaign that empowered and uplifted community voices, built workforce development programs, and supported youth. Dr. Kalyan aims to co-create engineering research with students, community members, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders, centered on water, food, energy, and transportation infrastructure to support and advance social and environmental justice.
Dr. Namal Priyantha
Senior Professor in Chemistry, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Life member, Phi Lambda Upsilon Honorary Chemical Society
Fellow, Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science
Fellow, Institute of Chemistry, Ceylon, Sri Lanka
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Prof. Namal Priyantha’s research centers on developing sustainable, low-cost, and environmentally friendly solutions for water purification, pollutant removal, and environmental protection. His work spans biosorption, green synthesis of nanomaterials, corrosion inhibition, and atmospheric chemistry, with a strong emphasis on practical applications for real-world environmental challenges. He has made significant contributions to the use of natural and waste-derived materials, such as plant fibres and fruit peels, as efficient biosorbents for the removal of heavy metals and dyes from aqueous systems. His research also advances the green synthesis of nanomaterials, including hydroxyapatite and metal oxide nanoparticles, demonstrating their effectiveness in adsorption processes and corrosion control in aggressive environments. In addition, Prof. Priyantha has contributed to atmospheric chemistry through investigation of rainwater quality of wet and dry depositions, providing valuable insights into environmental pollution and ecosystem health. His work integrates physical/analytical chemistry and environmental science to address pressing issues related to water quality and sustainability. Through his research, he continues to promote green chemistry approaches and the use of locally available resources to develop scalable and environmentally responsible solutions for pollution control and environmental monitoring. Beyond his academic contributions, he is also an inventor, holding a US patent for a sensor device for structural health monitoring (Patent No. 7034660), and contributing to the development of innovative environmental treatment technologies. To date, he has coauthored about 165 peer-reviewed journal publications, a few textbooks, and more than 250 research communications at conferences and achieved an h-index of 36 with more than 4200 citations.