Email: rohini@chem.cmb.ac.lk , rohini@lsu.edu

    Phone: (9411) 2503 367

    Fax : (9411) 2503 148

    Office: 114

Academic Record:

• Ph.D. in Organometallic Chemistry, University of Cambridge, UK - 1998.

• B.Sc. (Special in Chemistry, First Class)  - 1993, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Research Experience:

• Academic Visitor, Dr. Nick Bampos Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, April - June 2003

• Postdoctoral Fellow - Prof. Challa Kumar, Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices, Louisiana State University, USA. July 2005-Feb 2007. (Field of Study: Magnetic Nano particles; Synthesis, Characterization and biomedical applications in cancer therapy)

Research Interests:

• Organometallic Chemistry and Magnetic nano materials

• Computational investigations of  organometallic systems

• Theoretical studies of metal binding to Human Serum Albumin.

• Theoretical studies of Porphyrin arrays

• Supramolecular chemistry

• Green Chemistry

Research Publications:

(1)  Investigation of the Influence of Organometallic Precursors on the Formation of Cobalt Nanoparticles, Rohini M. de Silva, Vadim Palshin, Josef Hormes, Frank R Fronczek^# and Challa S. S. R. Kumar. J. Phys. Chem. (2007) 111(28) 10320-10328  

(2)  Mechanistic Investigation of the Influence of Surfactants on the Formation of Cobalt Nanoparticles, Rohini M. de Silva, Vadim Palshin, K. M. Nalin de Silva,  Laurence L. Henry, Josef Hormes, and Challa S. S. R. Kumar, Chem. Mater (2007)

(3)   Effect of precursor on the electronic and geometric properties of cobalt nanoparticles investigated by Co-K XANES and EXAFS.    Vadim Palshin, Rohini M. de Silva, Josef Hormes Challa S.S.R. Kumar AIP Conference Proceedings  (2007),  882(X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS13)),  758-760.   

(4)   Do intermediates/decomposition products play a role in controlling the properties of nanoparticles synthesized wet-chemically?  Rohini M de Silva, Vadim Palshin, Josef Hormes, Challa S.S.R. Kumar,   Abstracts of Papers, 232nd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, United States, Sept. 10-14, 2006.

(5)  Investigations of nonlinear optical properties of organometallic complexes using high accuracy Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations, Ireshika C. de Silva, Rohini M. de Silva and K. M. Nalin de Silva, Journal of Molecular Structure: THEOCHEM, 728/1-3 (2005), 141-145.

(6)  Molecular Mechanics (MM), Molecular Dynamics (MD) and Semi-empirical study of Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Cd²⁺ binding to N-terminal of Human Serum Albumin (HSA), Suresh de Silva, Rohini M. de Silva and K. M. Nalin de Silva Journal of Molecular Structure: THEOCHEM, 711/1-3 (2004) 73-81.

(7)  Nonlinear optical properties of novel organometallic systems: Density Functional Theory calculations, Poornima Liyanage, Rohini M. de Silva and K. M. Nalin de Silva, J. Mol. Structure: THEOCHEM, 639 (2003), 195 – 201.

(8)  Push-pull porphyrins as nonlinear optical materials: Ab initio Quantum Chemical Calculations, Aashani Tillekerathne, Rohini M. de Silva and K. M. Nalin de Silva, J. Mol. Structure: THEOCHEM, 638 (2003), 169 – 176.

(9)  Cyclo-hexaphosphane versus cyclo-hexaarsane fragmentation on a sulphur capped mixed-metal dicobalt-iron skeleton. Rohini M. de Silva,    Martin J. Mays, Paul R. Raithby and Gregory A. Solan, J. Organomet. Chem., 642 (1-2), 237 – 245, 2002.

(10) Reactivity of cyclo-(PhX)₆ (X = As, P) towards [M₃L₂(CO)₁₀](M = Ru, L = CO or NCMe; M = Fe, L = CO. Rohini M. de Silva, Martin J. Mays, Gregory A. Solan, J. Organomet. Chem., 664 (2002) 27-36.

(11) Fragmentation of a As₄Ph₄-chain on a tetranuclear cobalt cluster induced by thermolysis or by reaction with Fe₂(CO)₉. Rohini M. de Silva, M. J. Mays, P.R. Raithby and G. A. Solan, J. Organomet. Chem., 625(2): 245-254, 2001.

(12)  New organoarsino-bridged cobalt carbonyl complexes derived from reactions of [Co₂(CO)₈] or [Co₂(m-alkyne)(CO)₆] with cyclo-(AsPh)₆. Rohini M. de Silva, M. J. Mays, J. E. Davies, P. R. Raithby, M. A. Rennie, G. P. Shield, J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans., 1998, 439.

(13) Synthesis and characterization of novel heterobimetallic complex containing As₄Ph₄ chain.  Rohini M. de Silva and Martin J. Mays, Annual Sessions, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, 7, 2000. (Abstract)

(14) Synthesis, Characterisation and Theoretical investigation of the complex [Si(C₅H₇O₂)₃Fe(CH₃)₃Cl] L. Anuradha Jayasinghe and Rohini M. de Silva, Proce. Sri Lan. Ass. Adv. Scie., 2002. 

(15)  Ab initio investigations of cobalt binding at the N-teminus of Human Serum Albumin (HAS), S. N. Apitawalage, Rohini M. de Silva, K. M. Nalin de Silva, Journal of Molecular Structure: THEOCHEM, 2004 (Submitted)

Honours and Awards:

(1) Cambridge Commonwealth Trust (CCT) Scholarship and an ORS award - 1995 - 1998, University of Cambridge, UK.

(2) Fellow of the Cambridge Commonwealth Society (Patron : HRH The Prince of Wales).

(3) Bhikaji Framji Khan Gold medal for Chemistry - 1993. This Gold medal is presented to the candidate who earns the highest overall average in B.Sc. Special in Chemistry, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

(4) Studentship - 1992. This award is presented to the candidate who earns the highest average in the first year examinations (Biological Stream), University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

(5) Dr. C. L. De Silva memorial prize for Chemistry - 1992. This is awarded for the highest aggregate in first and second year examinations in Chemistry, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

 Professional Employment:

• Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. (1998 – present).

• Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. (1994 - 1998), Promoted to Senior Lecturer after the Ph.D. ( Study leave during 1994 – 1998).

• Visiting Lecturer, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. (2000 - present ).

• Visiting Lecturer, University of Sri Jayawardhanpura, Sri Lanka. (2000 - present ).

•  Demonstrator, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, UK. (1995 - 1998).

• Assistant Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. 1993-1994.

• Teaching Assistant, Institute of Chemistry, Sri Lanka. 1993-1994

 Teaching Experience:

• Teaching and laboratory experience as a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Chemistry, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. 1998 – present.

• Three years laboratory experience as a demonstrator (Part 1A and 1B) at Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, UK. 1995 - 1998.

• Two years undergraduate teaching experience as a lecturer at the Department of Chemistry, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. 1993-1994

• One year laboratory experience as a demonstrator at Institute of Chemistry, Sri Lanka. 1993-1994.