FULL NAME

Sudarshanee Geekiyanage

NATIONALITY

Sri Lankan

HIGHER EDUCATION

• Ph.D (Applied Plant Molecular Biology), UGSAS, Ehime University, Japan. Thesis was submitted on the “Studies on the control of flowering time in higher plants by genetic engineering“. 

• M.Sc., Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA), University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.

• BSc. (Agriculture), Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.

SCHOLARSHIPS

• Asian Development Bank Scholarship for MSc in Biotechnology in 2001

• Japanese Government Scholarship for the PhD under the programme of Tropical and Sub-tropical Agriculture and related sciences in 2003

RESPONSIBILITIES AT THE UNIVERSITY

• Teaching Genetics, Plant Breeding and Molecular Biology for undergraduates.

• Visiting lecturer in MSc (Biotechnology) and MSc (Plant Protection) programmes offered by Faculty of Science, University of Ruhuna.

• Academic Counsellor of Department of Agric Biology.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP

• Member of the Sri Lanka Association for Advancement of Science.

• Student member of Japanese Society for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology (2005 and 2006).

WORKSHOPS ATTENDED

• Biosafety Workshop "An Introduction to Risk Analysis of Current Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and Their Products, and to Possible Issues Raised by Novel GMOs in the Future", Trieste, Italy (Sep 27- Oct 1, 2010).

RESEARCH ENGAGEMENT

• Manipulation of flowering time in local crops through genetic engineering for desirable traits.

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

Peer-reviewed international journals

Geekiyanage S., Takase T., Ogura Y., Kiyosue T. (2007) Anthocyanin production by over-expression of grape transcription factor gene VlmybA2 in transgenic tobacco and Arabidopsis. Plant Biotechnol Rep DOI 10.1007/s11816-006-0001-4 (Online publication).

Takase T., Yasuhara M., Geekiyanage S., Ogura Y., Kiyosue T. (2007) Over-expression of the chimeric gene of the floral regulator CONSTANS and the EAR motif repressor causes late flowering in Arabidopsis . Plant Cell Rep DOI 10.1007/s 00299-006-0287-2(Online publication).

Geekiyanage S., Takase T., Watanabe S., Fukai S., Kiyosue T. (2006) The combined effect of photoperiod, light intensity and GA3 on adventitious shoot regeneration from cotyledons of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.). Plant Biotech 23: 431-435.

Peer-reviewed local journals

Takase T., Asayama K., Geekiyanage S., Kiyosue T. (2009) Over-expression of CONSTANS from Arabidopsis thaliana did not cause early flowering in the short-day tobacco plant, Nicotiana tabacum cv Hiks Maryland Mammoth, under a long-day condition. Kagawa University Technical Bulletin.

Geekiyanage S. (2009) Potential of VlmybA1-2 as a candidate marker for visual identification of transgenic plants: induced anthocyanin production in Arabidopsis and tobacco. International J of Tropical Agricultural Research and Extension. (On line publication).

Geekyanage S. (2008) Anthocyanin production by over-expression of grape transcription factor gene VlmybA1-2 in transgenic tobacco and Arabidopsis. Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLASS) abstracts. 64th annual sessions.

Geekiyanage S., Wickramasingha I.P., Senanayaka A.H.S. (2001) In vitro callus formation and somatic embryogenesis in sweet orange variety Bibile Sweet. Sri Lankan J of Agic Sci 38: 129-139.

Presentations at Academic Meetings

Geekyanage S. (2008) Anthocyanin production by over-expression of grape transcription factor gene VlmybA1-2 in transgenic tobacco and Arabidopsis. 64th annual session of Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLASS) (December 5).

Geekiyanage S, Takase T, Kiyosue T (2006) Anthocyanin production by over-expression of grape transcription factor gene VlmybA2 in transgenic tobacco and Arabidopsis. 24th Annual meeting of Japanese Society for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology, Tsukuba, Japan (July 29-30).

Takase T, Yasuhara M, Geekiyanage S, Kiyosue T (2006) Over-expression of the chimeric gene of a floral regulator and the EAR motif repressor causes late flowering in Arabidopsis. 24th Annual meeting of Japanese Society for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology, Tsukuba, Japan (July 29-30).

Geekiyanage S, Kiyosue T (2005) Regeneration and Agrobacterium mediated transformation of spinach. 23rd Annual meeting of Japanese Society for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology, Kyoto, Japan (Aug 5-6).