Professor Seneweera is a distinguished academic with over 30 years of extensive experience in research, teaching, and academic administration within multiple countries including Australia, Japan, the United States of America, and Sri Lanka. His research specialization is in molecular plant physiology, and his research effort is dedicated to enhancing crop adaptation to extreme environmental conditions and bolstering resilience against the challenges posed by climate change, including high levels of CO2, heat, drought, salt stress, nutrient deficiencies, and toxicities.
Throughout his illustrious career, Professor Seneweera has significantly contributed to advancing scientific knowledge on the understanding of fundamental mechanisms of how crop plants respond to future climate conditions. His research efforts have also led to developing and deploying stress-tolerant cultivars and effective system-based yield and resource management tools. Professor Seneweera’s leadership acumen is evident through his tenure in various pivotal roles, including Director (CEO/CFO-NIFS) and Head of Stress Biology (NIFS-Sri Lanka), Chair Professor, Program Leader (NIFS) discipline leader (USQ, Australia), and Lead Plant Physiologist (the University of Melbourne).
Professor Seneweera earned his PhD in Plant Physiology from Western Sydney University, Australia, beginning his remarkable academic journey. With a prolific scholarly output, he has authored or co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and books, reflecting his profound impact on plant science. Notably, Professor Seneweera’s research standing is underlined by his impressive H-index of 48 and close to 8000 citations. According to Stanford University’s ranking, he has consistently ranked in the top 2% of scientists worldwide for the past five years.

In addition to his research and leadership roles, Professor Seneweera actively contributes to the scientific community as a member of multiple editorial boards and scientific organizations. His outstanding contributions have been recognized through numerous awards and accolades for excellence and leadership. Furthermore, Professor Seneweera’s commitment to nurturing future talent is evident through his supervision of over 30 PhD candidates across different world regions. He stands among the top 1% of scientists in the agricultural domain, exemplifying his profound impact and dedication to advancing the field.