"I believe Prof. Chandima deserves this award because he is a lab leader in every sense of the word. He is an extremely kind mentor who is constantly available for his students no matter how trivial the matter is. He is a great example because he has achieved his accolades through perseverance and always wants to make things better for his students. His sharp eye does not miss anything whether it be an administrative or scientific matter. His level of energy never goes down and he is always looking for ways to improve what is there while maintaining the quality of the current work. He sees beyond the paper qualifications of a person and gives people a chance to prove themselves. His mentorship goes beyond just research, and he cares about the personal wellbeing of his students. His vision is beyond himself and one that is in national interest to allow a developing country like Sri Lanka to have facilities of international standards and to be able to produce work in keeping with those standards. His vision has created opportunities for many young researchers in Sri Lanka and pioneered work to help patients through translational research."

Nominated by Thushali Ranasinghe, Allergy, Immunology and Cell Biology Unit, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka