Professor Veranja Karunaratne earned his B.Sc. in Chemistry (Special) with First Class Honors from the University Of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and his Ph.D in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the University of British Columbia, Canada. 

His distinguished career includes serving as Chairman of the National Science and Technology Commission, Council Member of the National Research Council, and former Head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Peradeniya. He was also the Chairman of the National Intellectual Property Commission and a key founder and leader at the Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC), where he held roles as Science Team Leader and Associate Director Science & Strategic Relations. Subsequently he served as the Vice Chancellor of SLINTEC Academy and currently he serves as the Vice Chancellor / CEO of Sri Lanka Technology Campus. Professor Karunaratne has demonstrated a profound commitment to academic research, administration, leadership and national scientific framework. 

Professor Karunaratne is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the National Academy of Sciences, Sri Lanka, and was honored with the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques by the French government in 2012. He has authored over 150 peer-reviewed papers, holds 17 patents, and has supervised multiple PhD and Mphil students.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the National Academy of Sciences, Sri Lanka, and was honored with the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques by the French government in 2012. Professor Karunaratne has authored over 150 peer-reviewed papers, holds 17 patents, and has supervised numerous PhD and MPhil students.