Several British-Sri Lankans Enlisted in the Queen’s 2021 New Year Honours List

Several British-Sri Lankans are enlisted in the Queen’s 2021 New Year honours list which recognises the outstanding achievements of people across the United Kingdom.

Professor Ravi Silva, Professor Mohan Edirisinghe, Professor Ramani Moonesinghe, Dr Shikandhini Kanagasundrem, Mr Gajan Wallooppillai, and Mr Mohamed Hazrath Haleem Ossman were conferred the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) award.

Professor Ravi Silva, Director from Advanced Technology Institute, University of Surrey receives a CBE for his outstanding services to Science, Education and Research over the last three decades, with contributions that extend around the world. Prof. Silva has conducted major research activities in China, India, Sri Lanka and the UK. They have helped to elevate research and the translation of research into useful national products. He also helped to set up one of the largest carbon nanotechnology laboratories at Surrey, and his research into energy materials will play a key role in next generation solar cells and energy storage, the University of Surrey website states.

Prof. Mohan Edirisinghe who was conferred the OBE holds the Bonfield Chair of Biomaterials in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University College London (UCL). Prof. Edirisinghe has been in the forefront of developing new methods to manufacture advanced materials particularly in healthcare. His patented technology for producing micro-bubbles and nanoparticles has enabled the manufacture of whole new drug delivery systems, the UCL website states.

Prof. Mohan Edirisinghe has won many awards including the Royal Society Brian Mercer (Innovation) Feasibility Award a record three times, the Royal Academy of Engineering Armourers & Brasiers prize for excellence in Materials Engineering in 2017 and the Premier IOM3 Chapman Medal for his distinguished research in the field of biomedical materials.

Professor Ramani Moonesinghe is a Professor of Perioperative Medicine and Consultant Anaesthetist at University College London. She receives the OBE for services to Anaesthesia, Perioperative and Critical Care. In Prof. Moonesinghe's NHS role, she was the clinical lead for the national critical care response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Ramani Moonesinghe is the Head of the Centre for Perioperative Medicine and Head of the Department of Targeted Intervention, both at UCL. She is also the NHS England/NHS Improvement’s National Clinical Director for Critical Care and an honorary Consultant Anaesthetist at University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, the UCL website states.

A former Conservative councillor in Richmond, Gajan Wallooppillai receives the OBE for services to Equality and Community Cohesion. He is also a former local councillor in the Royal Borough of Kingston-Upon-Thames, he is currently a Special Advisor to the Conservative Party Chairman and the party’s International Secretary.

Dr Shikandhini Kanagasundrem, Director, Infection Prevention and Control and Consultant Microbiologist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, receives the OBE for services to microbiology, infection prevention and control, particularly during the COVID-19 response.

Mohamed Hazrath Haleem Ossman who is an accountant by profession receives the OBE for services to the Sri Lankan community in the UK (London, Greater London). He is an old boy of S. Thomas College and an active member of the Sri Lanka Islamic (UK) Association.