Tuesday Oct 28, 2025
Tuesday Oct 28, 2025
Tuesday, 28 October 2025 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
From left: Moderator Kavinga Yapa, Faculty of Engineering Prof. Priyan Dias, Faculty of Engineering Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost Prof. Nimal Rajapakse, SLIIT Chancellor Prof. Lakshman Ratnayake, Pro Vice-Chancellor – Academic Prof. Rahula Attalage, Faculty of Computing Dr. Bhagya Nathali Silva, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences Prof. Charitha Jayaruk, and Faculty of Humanities Prof. Dhanushka Udayanga
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| SLIIT Chancellor Prof. Lakshman Ratnayake |
By Safna Malik
The Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) has reasserted its growing global research presence after six of its academics were recognised as World’s Top 2% Scientists in the Stanford–Elsevier ranking system.
The major academic achievement was recently celebrated at the NH Collection Colombo. The event marked a significant moment of pride for the institution bringing together over 100 guests including officials from SLIIT, academics, and representatives from the corporate sectors.
This recognition is a celebration of individual achievement and the institution’s success in building a world-class research ecosystem that generates impactful knowledge, particularly in areas critical to the nation’s future, such as sustainable energy, technology, automation, food sciences, health, and biosciences.
The Stanford-Elsevier World Top 2% Researcher list is regarded globally. The ranking is precisely compiled by Stanford University using rigorous data from Elsevier’s Scopus database. An analysis that ranks scientists across 22 broad scientific fields and 174 sub-fields, ensuring that influence is assessed fairly regardless of the researcher’s discipline.
The Science-Metrix classification system, identifies scholars worldwide who have made significant contributions to their fields. The rankings account for both single-year achievements and career-long impact, reflecting the breadth and longevity of a researcher’s influence on global scientific advancement.
The ranking is based on citation data updated to the end of 2024. The category Single-Year Impact (2024) list, features six distinguished scholars:
SLIIT, the Faculty of Humanities and Sciences Associate Prof. Charitha Jayaruk.
SLIIT, the Faculty of Humanities and Sciences Prof. Dhanushka Udayanga.
SLIIT, the Faculty of Computing Dr. Bhagya Nathali Silva.
SLIIT, the Faculty of Engineering Prof. Dush Jayakody.
SLIIT, the Faculty of Engineering Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost Prof. Nimal Rajapakse.
SLIIT, the Faculty of Engineering Prof. Priyan Dias.
Further strengthen the university’s legacy of sustained excellence, the prestigious career-long list, which recognises enduring contributions over a researcher’s entire body of work.
Speaking about the strategic vision driving this research success and highlighting the university’s crucial role in the national economy, SLIIT Vice Chancellor Prof. Lalith Gamage offered a strong endorsement of the academics’ work and the institution’s commitment to high-calibre research, stating, “This achievement reflects our efforts in advancing research and generating new knowledge. The high-impact publications and pioneering work of our academics have set new standards in their fields. We remain committed to fostering an environment that encourages transformative ideas and impactful discoveries.”
He also mentioned about the university’s focus to increase its global research influence, aiming to raise the number of globally-ranked academics from six to at least 20. He highlighted the institution’s commitment to providing extensive support to researchers and students, specifically mentioning the provision of scholarships for talented individuals experiencing financial difficulties. This institutional backing and the public honouring of these achievements are crucial for keeping the academic body motivated.
Prof. Gamage further noted that the presence of SLIIT scholars on this global list is a testament to the institution’s success in producing research with global significance while remaining keenly focused on solving local and regional challenges.
SLIIT Chancellor Prof. Lakshman Rathnayake gave a powerful insight into the university’s financial commitment to national development. He revealed that, despite operating as a non-state, not-for-profit entity that reinvests its revenue into education and research, the institution is one of the major tax payers to the nation. He affirmed, “In the last financial year, we gave Rs. 1.5 billion rupees as taxes to the Government,” a figure that illustrates SLIIT’s dedication to its role as a key economic stakeholder in Sri Lanka.
Speaking on the strategic plan to further strengthen SLIIT’s global research presence, he stressed the vital importance of capacity building. He noted that while the resources were in place, they needed enhancement to facilitate high-level research. The university, which currently maintains a relatively small number of PhD students, aims to scale up to an annual intake of 100 to 200 PhD students.
Prof. Rathnayake explained that achieving this goal requires strong encouragement. The institution’s plan is to recruit at least 100 PhD students next year by offering attractive scholarships which was practiced in many foreign countries. He emphasised that expanding the research base through students is critical, as the existing academic staff alone cannot meet the research demands.
He strongly highlighted the necessity of external partnerships to sustain high-calibre research. He stated that in order to enhance its research profile, SLIIT needs to collaborate with foreign universities to expand its network and actively seek foreign funding for research. He justified this by explaining that local funding amounts are currently too low to adequately support the university’s high-profile research programmes.
SLIIT Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof. Nimal Rajapakse articulated the ultimate, long-term institutional aspiration: “Our goal is to become one of the top 1,000 universities in the world,” he declared, adding the aspirational vision, “In fact, our goal is one day to become the Harvard of Sri Lanka.”
The event concluded with a crucial panel discussion, a highly anticipated segment that featured the recognised researchers alongside institutional leaders. During the discussion, the panellists offered insightful reflections on their research journeys, all emphasising the paramount role of collaborative and interdisciplinary work in achieving global academic recognition.
They discussed how breaking down conventional academic boundaries allows researchers to tackle complex, real-world problems with greater efficiency and innovation. The panel discussion fundamentally reinforced the vital role universities play in not only distributing knowledge but also in advancing scientific inquiry and innovation that is directly relevant to societal needs.
The segment ultimately highlighted SLIIT’s unwavering commitment to fostering a robust research culture a culture that actively encourages knowledge creation aimed at directly addressing both national priorities and pressing global challenges. This holistic, growth oriented philosophy ensures that SLIIT’s academic success translates into tangible, positive impact both at home and abroad.
