Thivanka Ariyarathna, Ph.D., Rowan University

Dr. Ariyarathna is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science at Rowan University and holds a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Connecticut. She completed her undergraduate degree in Geology from the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka where she was born. She is excited and committed to serving as a board member in the HDC SETAC based on her continuous involvement with SETAC for the past 11 years. She has published three peer-reviewed articles in SETAC journal, and her research focuses on origin, distribution, fate, and transport of environmental pollutants in different aquatic environments from small freshwater tributaries to coastal marine ecosystems. She evaluates natural and bio-stimulated removal of pollutants from aquatic systems via adsorption onto sediment and microbial degradation. Moreover, Dr. Ariyarathna’s research interests align with bioaccumulation of pollutants in ecosystem food web structure, and she utilizes stable isotopes as a tool for her research. She admires teamwork and her Ph.D. project was awarded with “Project of the Year Award for Environmental Restoration” from SERDP (Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program) in 2016. After she started her position at Rowan university in Fall, 2022, Dr. Ariyarathna received two grants from South Jersey Institute of Population Health and NJ water Research Resources institute to conduct research on heavy metals in Camden, NJ and PFAS in Atlantic Reservoir in South Jersey, respectively. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and time with friends and family.