The Matriarch of IBMBB
Professor Kamani Hemamala Tennekoon is well-known to the scientific community of Sri Lanka for her dedicated contribution to various branches of science and especially to Molecular Life Sciences. Professor Tennekoon obtained her MBBS with a second-class upper division in 1979 from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo. In 1981, she was recruited to the Department of Physiology as a Lecturer. In 1982, having secured a Commonwealth Scholarship she proceeded to the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom to peruse her PhD. Upon her return to the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, after completing her post-graduate studies, she was promoted as a Senior Lecturer. She was promoted to the post of Associate Professor in Physiology in 1995, Professor in Physiology in 2002 on merit and Professor of Physiology in 2004. She served as the Director of the Institute of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IBMBB) for two consecutive terms (from 2007-2012). From 2010 until her retirement, she served as the Senior Professor of Molecular Life Sciences at the IBMBB.
Professor Tennekoon is an erudite scholar, a marvelous researcher and an academic of the highest caliber. She began her research career in the field of reproductive physiology and extended her research focus into molecular genetics of cancer, mitochondrial DNA and ancient DNA, population genetics, natural product development, and identification of biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma. She has supervised numerous Master and Doctoral students and authored nearly 80 publications published in international peer reviewed journals. Her excellence in research was duly recognized Prof. Tennekoon receiving the presidential research awards in the years 2001, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016, merit awards for scientific excellence in 2011, 2013 and 2014, SUSRED award in 2016 by the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka (NSF) and the Senate awards for research excellence in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019. She has also received several research grants from national and international funding agencies.
She was the guardian of IBMBB during its difficult times and her immense contribution to uplift the IBMBB is invaluable. Since she was the successor of Professor Eric Karunanayake, founder director of IBMBB, she had the responsibility in leading the family of IBMBB at very early stages.
Going forwards unscathed in various difficult situations while facing criticisms, her efforts to transform IBMBB as a “Centre of Excellence” in the field of Molecular Life Sciences is highly commendable. She pioneered in research and development by strengthening infrastructure and human resources, thus facilitating a conducive environment for research at IBMBB. She was the instrumental in building a research team with vibrant research fellows, currently performing extremely well in the fields of reproductive medicine, population genetics and natural product drug developments. She was an excellent teacher as well as a mentor who nurtured young scientist in the country. Her tireless work as an administrator, teacher and a mentor during her stay at the IBMBB was a blessing for a productive outcome.
