Dr Ravindra Jayaratne

- Specialist in Modelling Sediment Transport Processes, Tsunamis, Storm Surges, Extreme Waves and Glacier Lake Outburst Floods with 20+ years’ research experience
- Awarded external research grants (PI and Co-I, £182,000) from NERC, GCRF, NF, Daiwa, GBSF, RAE, RS, JSPS, Waseda, Kansai, MEXT and internal grants from UEL (£103,500)
- Set-up strong research collaborations with academic, government organisations and engineering consultancies in Japan, UK, Canada, Mexico, Iran, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Indonesia since 2008
- Contributor (1 out of 7.8 FTE submitted) for ACE’s REF 2014 submission
- Held a number of administrative roles in ACE; e.g. BSc (Hons) Civil Engineering Programme Leader (2011-2017), currently holding Link Tutor roles for Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Greece, Russia and Egypt (2017~) and Impact Champion for Engineering submission of REF2021 (2018~)
- Intend to submit an Impact Case Study on Disaster Prevention Mechanisms and Mitigation against Natural Hazards for REF 2021
- ACE’s “Flood Risk Modelling and Mapping” Research Team Leader since 2017 (7 members)
- Subject Panel & Award Board External Examiner for Engineering programmes (Civil, Coastal and Marine Science) at University of Plymouth, UK (2015-2019)
- Fellow of Higher Education Academy, UK since 2009

My principal research interests are in the field of coastal engineering, particularly wave hydrodynamics, wave-structure interaction, sediment transport modelling and disaster prevention mechanisms against storm surges, extreme waves and Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) exacerbated by global warming effect and geo-physical hazards such as tsunamis. I carried out a number of post-disaster field surveys in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Japan and UK.

I subsequently used field data to develop soft engineering solutions (e.g. management strategies, flood maps, education seminars, disaster preparedness activities) and hard engineering solutions (e.g. developing predictive tools; formulae/mathematical models, numerical models, and design guidelines) through collected field data, numerical, theoretical/mathematical and laboratory modelling of worst-case disaster scenarios for future resilience of flood defence and infrastructure. I have extended my research in to modelling of natural hazards with disaster risk reduction (DRR) in coastal and river communities in Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan and UK.

I have received external funding from the Kansai’s University (2020), UK’s Natural Environment Research Council (2018), Research England – Global Challenges Research Fund (2018), Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation (2018), Newton Fund (2017), Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation (2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019), Royal Society (2014), Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Government of Japan (2013) Royal Academy of Engineering (2008, 2010), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (2005, 2010), Yokohama National University (2018), University of Tokyo (2016), Waseda University (2011, 2013), Japan.

Moreover, I have secured several internal funding grants from the UEL (Sabbatical Scheme 2018-19, Mid-Career Researcher Fund, 2016; Impact Fund, 2016, 2020; International Research Collaboration Fund, 2014; Early Career Researcher Accelerator Fund, 2012; Promising Researcher Award, 2009).

I have authored 100+ peer-reviewed journal, peer-reviewed conference proceeding and national-level research articles in the above disciplines. I have contributed for School’s UK REF2014 research submission (UoA 15 General Engineering) by submitting internationally standing 4 journal papers and the research grant awarded by the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation (#D55). I am currently supervising 2 PhD students (as DoS) in coastal engineering / disaster mitigation and 3 (2nd / 3rd Supervisor) in civil engineering infrastructure modelling. I am the Impact Champion for the REF2021 Engineering submission (UoA 12 Engineering).

I am an Associate Editor for Coastal Engineering Journal of Taylor & Francis since September 2019. I serve as a peer-reviewer for the following journals; Maritime Engineering (ICE), Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal & Ocean Engineering (ASCE), Journal of Marine Science & Engineering (MDPI), Coastal Engineering Journal (JSCE/Taylor & Francis), Ocean Engineering (Elsevier) and Natural Hazards (Springer). Also, I serve reviewing papers of the International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers (ISOPE) and International Conference on Structural Engineering and Construction Management (ICSECM) Conference series.

I was an organising committee member of CIWEM-UEL Water Emergencies & Management Conference in 2019, Waseda-YNU Coastal Engineering Research Seminar series held in Sri Lanka in 2006 and UEL’s AC&T Conference series from 2010-2012. I have been a Visiting Researcher to the Complex Disaster Research Institute of Waseda University since 2011, the Department of Urban Innovation of Yokohama National University (YNU), Japan in 2018, Department of Civil Engineering of University of Ottawa (uOttawa), Canada in 2017 and the Institute of Engineering of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in 2014. 

External grant since 2014

DATE FUNDER TITLE GRANT AMOUNT & COLLABORATORS
1st Apr. 2020 – 31st Mar. 2023 Kansai University, Japan Integration of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation for SDGs Total grant: £30,000
UEL (my) allocation: £15,750

Researchers:
Dr Hideyuki Shiroshita, Kansai University (PI); Dr M P R Jayaratne (Project Partner); Dr Kaori Kitagawa, UCL (Project Partner)
1st June 2019 – 30th Nov. 2020 Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation (GBSF)
[#5696] Relationship between beach profile evolution and sediment mixing depth: Laboratory and mathematical modelling Total grant: £3,200
UEL (my) allocation: £1,600

Researchers:
Dr M P R Jayaratne (PI); Dr Takayuki Suzuki, Yokohama National University, Japan (Project Partner)
1st Nov. 2018 – 31st Mar. 2021 Natural Environment Research Council [NERC - NE/S005838/1] Compound flooding from tropical cyclone-induced sea surge and precipitation in Sri Lanka (C-FLOOD) Total grant: £252,804
UEL (my) allocation: £103,949 (41.1% from the total grant)

Researchers:
Professor Alison Raby (PI), Plymouth University, UK; Dr M P R Jayaratne (Co-I); Dr Kaori Kitagawa (Co-I), UCL; Professor Janaka Wijetunge (Co-I), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka; Mr Sujeewa Ranawaka (Co-I), Department of Coast Conservation & Coastal Resource Management, Sri Lanka; Professor Paul Taylor (Vis. Researcher), University of Western Australia
15th Nov. 2018 – 31st July 2019 Research England – Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Awareness and preparedness of local communities in Vietnam and Indonesia under climate-driven and geophysical hazards Total grant: £5,610
UEL (my) allocation: £5,610

Researchers:
Dr M P R Jayaratne (PI); Dr Nguyen Danh Thao, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Vietnam (Project Collaborator); Dr Hendra Achiari, Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia (Project Collaborator)
15th Nov. 2018 – 31st July 2019 Research England – Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Understanding coastal erosion issues with a focus on the alleviation of natural hazards and risk analysis – A case study in Sri Lanka Total grant: £2,045
UEL (my) allocation: £2,045

Researchers:
Dr M P R Jayaratne (PI); Mr Sujeewa Ranawaka, Department of Coast Conservation & Coastal Resource Management, Sri Lanka (Project Collaborator); Professor Jun Sasaki, University of Tokyo (Project Collaborator); Mr Sameera Samarasekara of University of Tokyo (PhD Student), Dr Takayuki Suzuki, Yokohama National University (Project Collaborator)
10th – 24th December 2018 Yokohama National University (YNU), Japan
(Foreign Researcher Exchange Fellowship) Laboratory modelling of sediment sorting and mixing (2D Wave flume experiments) Total grant: ¥350,000 (=£2,333)

Researchers:
Dr M P R Jayaratne (Visiting Researcher); Dr Takayuki Suzuki, YNU, Japan (Host Academic)
1st July 2018 – 30th June 2019 Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
[#12079/13184] Community engagement in preparing for natural water disasters of different time and magnitude scales – A comparative study between UK and Japan Total grant: £7,000
UEL (my) allocation: £2,955

Researchers:
Dr Kaori Kitagawa (PI), UCL; Dr M P R Jayaratne (Project Partner); Dr Hideyuki Shiroshita, Kansai University, Japan (Project Partner)
1st Apr. – 31st Dec. 2017 Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation (GBSF)
[#5139] Understanding coastal erosion processes with a focus on mitigating natural hazards and risk analysis Total grant: £1,600
UEL (my) allocation: £1,600

Researchers:
Dr M P R Jayaratne (PI); Professor Tomoya Shibayama, Waseda University, Japan (Project Partner)
1st Dec. 2016 – 31st Aug. 2017 Newton Fund
[#N101813] Understanding coastal and river sediment transport processes with a focus on the alleviation of natural hazards and risk analysis
Total grant: £1,360
UEL (my) allocation: £1,360

Researchers:
Dr M P R Jayaratne (Awardee); Mr Sujeewa Ranawaka, Department of Coast Conservation & Coastal Resource Management, Sri Lanka (Project Collaborator); Professor Jun Sasaki (Project Collaborator), University of Tokyo, Japan; Mr Sameera Samarasekara (PhD Student), University of Tokyo, Japan; Dr Takayuki Suzuki (Project Collaborator), Yokohama National University, Japan
20th – 25th March 2017 Newton Fund
[#N101813] Modelling natural hazards with community behaviour
Total grant: £1,000
UEL (my) allocation: £1,000

Researchers:
Dr M P R Jayaratne (Awardee); Professor John Preston, Cass School of Education, UEL (Project Collaborator); Dr Nguyen Danh Thao, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Vietnam (Project Collaborator)
1st Dec. 2014 – 30th Sep. 2015 Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation (GBSF) [#4682] Hard engineering solutions to mitigate natural disasters: Tsunamis and storm surges
Total grant: £2,000
UEL (my) allocation: £2,000

Researchers:
Dr M P R Jayaratne (PI); Professor Tomoya Shibayama, Waseda University, Japan (Project Partner)
1st Apr. 2013 – 31st Mar. 2014 Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation (GBSF)
[#4322] Mitigating future tsunami and storm surge disasters Total grant: £3,200
UEL (my) allocation: £3,200

Researchers:
Dr M P R Jayaratne (PI); Dr Miguel Esteban, Waseda University, Japan (Project Partner)
22nd Apr. – 23rd July 2014 Royal Society (Partnership Grant) Generating hydroelectricity in the River Lee Valley
Total grant: £2,411 (Awarded to School)

Project Partners:
Ms. Deborah Colvin (Assistant Head Teacher), Frederick Bremer School, Walthamstow, London; Dr M P R Jayaratne (Scientific/Engineer Partner)

Internal grants since 2014

DATE FUNDER TITLE GRANT AMOUNT & COLLABORATORS
1st June – 31st July 2020 Impact Fund 2020 Disaster prevention mechanisms against tsunamis, storm surges and extreme waves (Engineering Impact Case Study for REF 2021) Total grant: £5,000

Researchers:
Dr M P R Jayaratne (Awardee)
1st Sep 2018 – 15th Jan. 2019 Sabbatical Scheme 2018-19 (Sem. A) Working on on-going research projects (NERC, Daiwa, GCRF, YNU etc.) and completing peer-reviewed journal papers in pipeline for REF2021 submission Total grant: £3,387 [To cover 2/3 of teaching in Sem. A]

Researchers:
Dr M P R Jayaratne (Awardee)
1st May 2016 – 31st July 2017 Mid-Career Researcher Fund Tsunami-induced scour on marine buildings: Physical and mathematical modelling Total grant: £4,995

Researchers:
Dr M P R Jayaratne (Awardee); Professor Ioan Nistor, University of Ottawa, Canada (Project Partner)
1st – 14th August 2016 Impact Fund Conducting a series of seminars on "Disaster Prevention Mechanisms against Tsunamis and Storm Surges" in Dubai, Sri Lanka and Japan
Total grant: £3,720

Researchers:
Dr M P R Jayaratne (Awardee); Ms. Noora Mohammed Ahmed Hokal (Host), Dubai Municipality, Government of Dubai; Dr Kathigesu Raveenthiran (Host), Lanka Hydraulic Institute (LHI), Sri Lanka; Dr K. Arulananthan (Host), National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA), Sri Lanka; Mr Sujeewa Ranawaka (Host), Department of Coast Conservation & Coastal Resource Management, Sri Lanka; Dr Ariyarathne Godaliyadda (Host); IESL School of Engineering, Sri Lanka; Professor Tomoya Shibayama (Host), Waseda University, Japan.
1st Sep. 2015 – 30th Aug. 2018 UEL Research Studentship Scheme 2015 (PhD Studies) Long-term modelling of beach morphological changes         Total grant: £68,880 (for 3 years of PhD study)
Fully funded PhD scholarship including tuition fees (Project proposed by the Director of Studies)

Researchers:
Mr Gabriel Lim (Awardee), Currently PhD Student, UEL;
Dr M P R Jayaratne (Director of Studies)
24th – 31st July 2014 International Research Collaboration Fund 2014 Deterministic modelling of extreme beach erosion events due to storms Total grant: £2,860

Researchers:
Dr M P R Jayaratne (Awardee); Dr Chanaka Laknath (Project Partner), Lanka Hydraulic Institute (LHI), Sri Lanka; Professor Tomoya Shibayama (Project Partner), Waseda University, Japan.
1st June – 15th Aug. 2014 Undergraduate Research Internship Scheme 2014 Wave impact and overtopping on vertical and sloped seawalls Total grant: £2,000
(Project proposed by the Project Supervisor)

Researchers:
Ms Mara Nicholas (Awardee), BEng Student, UEL;
Dr M P R Jayaratne (Project Supervisor)

Travelling

- Developed two new 20-credit EG5031 Water Engineering (Level 5) and EG7030 Applied Research & Engineering Practice (Level 7) modules for BEng (Hons) and MEng (Hons) in Civil Engineering programmes under the New Academic Framework
- Deliver 4 engineering modules in current academic year (EG3014 Mathematical Applications, EG5031 Water Engineering, EG6105 Coastal Engineering and EG6114 Water Management)