Sureni Wickramasooriya, instructor of mathematics at Kansas Wesleyan University, completed her doctorate in applied mathematics at Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., this fall.
For her research, Dr. Wickramasooriya studied predator-prey relationships and how to use those relationships to eradicate pests without using chemicals. She also used biomass mathematics to develop a model to analyze ecological systems.
“The research was the hardest part for me,” Wickramasooriya said. “I’d like to continue with it.”
Completing the thesis was challenging, Wickramasooriya said, because her research was completed online, with her supervisor in upstate New York while she was in Kansas. She finished her coursework and other requirements before she came to Kansas Wesleyan in 2021.
“Completing one’s doctorate is a landmark moment,” said Dr. Damon Kraft, KWU provost. “It indicates a dedication to long-term, and often lifelong, learning and all the effort that entails. Congratulations to Dr. Wickramasooriya on achieving this tremendous accomplishment!
