Biography

Ms. Shehara Gunawardana obtained her Bachelor of Pharmacy Degree from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. She worked as a research assistant and a demonstrator in the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences in the same University from 2018 to 2020. She worked as a Lecture in the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, CINEC Campus, Malabe from 2021 to 2025. She completed her Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) in the field of pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in 2023. Upon completion of her M.Phil she joined as a Senior Lecturer (Grade II) in the Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences at University of Ruhuna. Her research focused on bioactivity guided fractionation of natural products, compound isolation and characterization, microbiology and drug delivery and development. She has authored and co-authored several scientific papers, with publications accepted in peer-reviewed national and international journals.

Qualification

M.Phil in Pharmaceutical Sciences (USJ, SL)

Bachelor of Pharmacy

Course/Modules Teaching for undergraduates

• Pharmaceutics
• Pharmaceutical Quality Control

Research and publications

Present research interests

Natural Products, Drug delivery and development, Pharmaceutics

Special awards and prizes

Research publications(full paper)

• Gunawardana, S.L.A., and Jayasuriya, W.J.A.B.N. 2019. Medicinally important herbal flowers in Sri Lanka. Evidenced Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2019(1), 2321961. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/2321961
• Gunawardana, S.L.A., Gunasekara, T.D.C.P., Sirimuthu, N.M.S., and Siriwardhene, M.A. 2022. Raman Spectroscopy in Phytochemical Analysis. Sri Lankan Journal of Applied Sciences, 1(01), 01–10. https://sljoas.uwu.ac.lk/index.php/sljoas/article/view/24
• Gunawardana, S.L.A., Jayanika S.T.C., Dabare P.R.L, and Siriwardhene M.A., 2022, Microbialcontamination of selected non-sterile pharmaceuticals in OPD pharmacy of a teaching hospital. World journal of advanced research and reviews 13(03), 295–303. DOI: 10.30574/wjarr.2022.13.3.0189
• Gunawardana, S.L.A., Siriwardana, M.A., Sirimuthu, N.M.S., and Gunasekara, T.D.C.P., 2023. Antioxidant and Sun screening activity of Mangifera zeylanica Bark Extracts. Journal of Science of University of Kelaniya, 16(2), 113-124. DOI: 10.4038/josuk.v16i2.8087
• Senarathne, R.N., Jayasuriya, B.N., and Gunawardana, S.L.A. 2024. Herbal Plants for Mental Disorders in Sri Lanka. Future Integrative Medicine. 3 (3), 183-191. doi: 10.14218/FIM.2024.00024.
• Gunawardana, Shehara., and Dias, Bhavantha. 2024. Methodological advances in formulation and assay of herbal resources-based topical drug delivery systems. Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, 22(1), 74-86. https://doi.org/10.1515/jcim-2024-0181
• Gunawardana S.L.A., Siriwardhene, M.A., Sirimuthu, N.M.S., Gunasekara, C. 2025. Development of Antimicrobial Formulation and Phytochemical Analysis of Mangifera zeylanica Bark Extracts. Natural Product Communications. 20(6). doi:10.1177/1934578X251346319
• Senarathne S.M.R.N., Deshan O.P.C., Warnakulasuriya S.N., and Gunawardana S.L.A. 2025. A Study of antimicrobial activity of Mangifera zeylanica leaves and development of a topical formulation. Natural Product Communications. 20(5). doi:10.1177/1934578X251342432