People

Principal investigator

 

Dr. Malinda Thilakarathna

Assistant Professor in Agronomy and Plant-microbial Interactions

PhD (Biology), Dalhousie University, NS, Canada

PDF (Plant Microbial Interactions, Agronomy), University of Guelph, Canada

MSc (Crop Science), Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

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

Google scholar

Awards

ALES Faculty Research and Innovation Award (2023)

Early Career Agronomist Award (2021) – Canadian Society of Agronomy

Editorial 

Associate Editor in Canadian Journal of Plant Science (2021 – present)

Postdoctoral Researchers

Dr. Pramod Rathor

Project: Effect of soil amendments on plant growth and stress tolerance

Dr. Dhanuja Abesinghe

Project: Plasma-assisted biological nitrogen fixation in pulses

Graduate students

Chathuranga De Silva

PhD Student

Project: Belowground nitrogen transfer from legumes no non-legumes 

Michele Tran

MSc student

Project: Effect of Cicer milkvetch on soil carbon, nutrient availability, and soil microbiome in mixed prairie grassland

Danielito Dollete

MSc student

Project: Biotic and abiotic factors on nitrogen rhizodeposition of forage legumes

Tianyi Zhao

MSc Student 

Project: Effect of soil amendments on alleviating drought stress

Research Assistant 

Keshav Bhattarai

MSc Student (Co-supervision)

Project: Cropping systems diversification with forage seed crops in terms of productivity, profitability, soil health, nitrogen use efficiency, and greenhouse emission using holos modeling

Oshadhi Athukorala Arachchige

MSc Student 

Lab Alumni

Postdoctoral Research Fellows

Dr. Rhea Lumactud – Currently position: Assistant Professor at Dalhousie University

Graduate Students

Dilrukshi Liyanage (MSc student) – Currently position: PhD student at the University of Guelph

Undergraduate Students

Michele Tran – Currently position: MSc student at the University of Alberta

Zachary Akitt 

Vianne Rouleau (NSERC USRA scholar)

Aug 2022

May 2022