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Hire Dr. Ravindra U.

Profile Summary

I have acquired a great deal of academic and industrial experience in the field of polymer science in general, and the production of polymeric latexes in particular in Europe, Canada and Asia. I began my professional career with Tea Research Institute (TRI) of Sri Lanka in 1999 as a Research Assistant. I worked on a research project which investigated effects of tea on oral health and my research work resulted in obtaining a patent also. I changed my field from Biochemistry to Polymer Chemistry and joined CIC of Sri Lanka in 2001 as a Laboratory Manager in their paint binder and adhesive formulations division. I quickly became interested in how the emulsions we used there were produced, and decided with my employers to do my MSc in parallel with my professional activities. After completing the research portion of my Master’s Degree in Lyon, France on the reformulation of high solid content Butyl Acrylate-Methyl Methacrylate core-shell latexes (in collaboration with what was then ATOFINA), the head of the research group, Dr McKenna offered me a position as a PhD candidate in his group in 2006. Having decided that I would like to further develop my skills as a researcher, I did my PhD work on the production of high solid content alkyd/acrylic and PU/acrylic composite latex. This project gave me the opportunity to work both at the C2P2 in Lyon, and at Queen’s University in Canada. Upon completion of my PhD, I first joined Synthomer Malaysia where I developed environmentally-friendly water born alkyd emulsions and alkyd-acrylic hybrids for coating applications. However I returned to Sri Lanka in 2011 due to family reasons and joined MPL in Colombo. Given the limited possibilities for career development in this small company, I accepted Dr McKenna’s offer to work as a post doctoral fellow in his group in order to give myself a chance to look for other opportunities. I have successfully synthesized high solids (60-65%) (Vinyl Acetate/Butyl Acrylate) co-polymer latex for Sherwin Williams Corporation under the current project.

Subject Matter Expertise

• ☆ Chemistry
• ☆ Dispersion Chemistry
• ☆ Polymer Chemistry
• ☆ Composite Materials
• ☆ Organic Chemistry
• ☆ Adhesion Technology

Services

• Writing
• Consulting
• Data & AI
• Product Development

Work Experience

Postdoctoral Researcher

Queen’s University – Canada and CNRS – C2P2/LCPP – ESCPE, Lyon, France

December 2012 - November 2014

Technical Manager

Macksons Paints Lanka (Pvt) Ltd.

July 2011 - November 2012

R&D Scientist

Synthomer Malaysia Sdn.Bhd

March 2010 - June 2011

PhD Candidate

CNRS – C2P2/LCPP – ESCPE, Lyon, France and University of Claude Bernard Lyon-1, France

December 2005 - September 2009

Research Assistant

Queen’s University, Canada

February 2008 - July 2009

MSc Candidate

CNRS – C2P2/LCPP – ESCPE, Lyon, France

January 2005 - July 2005

Laboratory Manager

Chemical Industries (Colombo) Ltd., Colombo, Sri Lanka

April 2001 - December 2004

Research Assistant

Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka

April 2001 - December 2004

Education

PhD

University of Claude Bernard Lyon -1

December 2005 - September 2009

MSc

University of Sri Jayawardanepura, Sri Lanka

October 2003 - July 2005

Graduateship in Chemistry

Institute of Chemistry, Ceylon – College of Chemical Sciences

October 1994 - November 1999

Certifications

• Certification details not provided.

Publications

JOURNAL ARTICLE

(2014). Influence of composition on the morphology of polyurethane/acrylic latex particles and adhesive films.

(2014). Acrylic-Alkyd Hybrids: Secondary Nucleation, Particle Morphology and Limiting Conversions. Macromolecular Reaction Engineering.

(2011). Synthesis of Acrylic-Polyurethane Hybrid Latexes by Miniemulsion Polymerisation and Their Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive Applications. Macromolecules.

(2011). Mechanical Properties of Adhesive Films Obtained from PU-Acrylic Hybrid Particles. Macromolecules.

(2010). Strategies for the Production of High Solids Acrylic/Methacrylic Core-Shell Lattices.

(2009). Antifungal Activity of Black Tea Polyphenols (Catechins and Theaflavins) against Candida Species.

(2008). Miniemulsification of monomer-resin hybrid systems.

CONFERENCE ABSTRACT

(2009). Mechanical and Adhesive Properties of Waterborne Polyurethane-Acrylic Hybrid Nanostructured Films (32nd Annual Meeting of the Adhesion Society: Hyatt Regency Savannah, Savannah, GA. February 15-18, 2009.

(2008). Waterborne Polyurethane-Acrylic Hybrid Nano Particles by Miniemulsion Polymerization: Mechanical Properties of Nanostructured Films (48th Microsymposium: Polymer Colloids: From Design to Biomedical and Industrial Applications. July 20-24, 2008, Prague).

(2008). Waterborne Polyurethane-Acrylic Nanoparticles by Miniemulsion Polymerization: Mechanical Properties of Nanostructured Films (13th UK Polymer Colloids Forum, August 2008).

PATENT

(2004). Sri Lanka Patent No: 13245 for the discovery of anti-fungal activity of catechins and theaflavins (black tea components) against Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis, Candida krusei and Candida glabrata.