Picture of Thushari Gunawardana

Thushari Gunawardana BVSc, PhD Collaborator

Thushari completed her PhD in 2018 and worked in our lab as a post-doctoral fellow. She recently accepted a faculty position at the University of Peredeniya.

Academic Credentials

  • BVSc, University of Peredeniya, Sri Lanka, 2010
  • PhD, Univeristy of Saskatchewan, 2018

Brief Bio

I have always loved working with animals and was fortunate to join the faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science in 2005, at University of Peradeniya , Sri Lanka. I graduated from University of Peradeniya in 2010 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc). Following graduation, I have worked in a nationwide dog sterilization program, which was conducted by health ministry of Sri Lanka and did my Veterinary Internship Program,  Department of Animal Production and Health, Sri Lanka (Mar 2011 – May 2011).  I also worked as the Veterinary surgeon at the Canine police headquarters in Kandy, Sri Lanka for a short period before starting graduate studies at the Western collage of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Canada in 2011. As a PhD graduate student, under supervision of Dr.Gomis, I have been involved in research on in-ovo delivery of CpG oligodeoxyneucleotides as an alternative to antibiotics. Investigating their immune mechanisms and methods to enhance immune effects.

Research Interests

  • Clinical trial designing and evaluation of in-ovo CpG-ODN (cytosine phospodiester guanine oligodeoxynucleotides) effects, immune mechanisms and safety in neonatal broiler chickens as an alternative to antibiotics
  • Evaluation of lipid based and CNT (carbon nanotube) based delivery of CpG-ODN
  • Further investigation of CpG-ODN immune mechanisms against important diseases in poultry
  • Interests: poultry diseases, immunology and pathology involvement in poultry diseases

Awards & Scholarships

  • 2016:  Graduate Student Travel Award from the John Burgess Walkden Fund. Western College of Veterinary Medicine.
  • 2015:  Graduate Student Travel Award from The Cecil E. Doige Fund.  Western College of Veterinary Medicine.
  • 2015:  Best Graduate Student Poster Award, World Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (WALVD) Conference.
  • 2014:  Saskatchewan Innovation and Opportunity Scholarship.
  • 2013:  Student Travel Award.  University of Saskatchewan.
  • 2013:  Graduate Student Travel Award from the John Burgess Walkden Fund. Western College of Veterinary Medicine.
  • 2009:  Astron Scholarship for highest marks in 1st, 2nd and 3rd BVSc. Astron Ltd. Sri Lanka.