PRAIRIE VIEW, TEXAS (February 4, 2022) The Robert A. Welch Foundation has supported chemical science education at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) since 2003. Ananda Amarasekara, Ph.D., most recently earned their support in the amount of $150,000 for his research Depolarization Cellulose Using Hydroxy-Aryl Sulfonic Acids as Cellulase Enzyme Mimicking Catalysts.
Ananda Amarasekara, Ph.D.
“I am excited about the opportunities this grant can provide for PVAMU students and faculty in research and education.”, said Amarasekara. He serves as a professor in the Department of Chemistry and co-principal investigator and group leader for the Bioenergy subgroup in the PVAMU Center for Energy and Environmental Sustainability (CEES).
Amarasekara’s key research interests involve renewable energy, biomass-based fuels, feedstock chemicals for polymer industry, catalysis, and ionic liquids.
Chemistry department faculty members, undergraduate, and graduate students will benefit from the Welch Foundation funding. Amarasekara will provide stipend-supported research opportunities for selected chemistry students from the current enrollment of over 100 majors and opportunities for involvement in a wide range of innovative research areas.
Support from the project will serve as seed funding to allow faculty members to acquire preliminary results and improve their competitiveness in pursuit of external funding opportunities.
In total, the grant will support nine projects in research areas of nanomaterial-based photothermal agents, synthesis of novel polymeric materials, vitamin analogs as carriers for drug delivery, cellulose depolymerization using cellulase enzyme mimicking catalysts, wastewater treatment as well as molecular modeling, and computational studies on biochemical systems.
“The Robert A. Welch Foundation continues to be a long-term support of Prairie View A&M University and our chemical science education effort. The Foundation is based in Houston has been funding research at PVAMU since 2003,” said Vice President Magesh Rajan, PVAMU Research & Innovation. “Their ongoing belief in our research growth is exemplified in this latest grant secured by Dr. Amarasekara.”
PVAMU was recently designated as a Research 2 (R2) university. Publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentation of research outcomes at conferences enhance the visibility of research activities at the university. Amarasekara states, “As the interim head of the department of chemistry and physics, I am looking forward to increasing the number of peer-reviewed research publications from the department of Chemistry.”
“Dorie J. Gilbert, Ph.D., dean of the Brailsford College of Arts & Sciences provided encouragement, guidance, and support in the preparation of the proposal and in acquiring this prestigious research grant,” said Amarasekara.
Amarasekara aims to enhance the infrastructure and culture of the chemistry program by promoting scholarly research and increasing the number of undergraduate and graduate students choosing chemistry as a major.
“With the research support provided by this departmental grant, we hope to recruit more students to the graduate program,” said Amarasekara.
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Karen B. Cotton, MS, MA