Prof. Dr. Rohana Chandrajith
Humboldt Research Fellow and guest researcher at FAU´s Chair of Applied Geology/GeoZentrum Nordbayern
Prof. Dr. Rohana Chandrajith obtained a B.Sc. in Geology at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and a M.Sc. in Chemistry at the Shimane University in Japan. In the late 1990s, Prof. Dr. Chandrajith came to Erlangen to receive a doctorate in Geochemistry from FAU. Already ten years later, he came back to Erlangen in the frame of a George Forster Research Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to do postdoctoral research at FAU.
Furthermore, Prof. Dr. Chandrajith is Fellow of the National Academy of Science and Fellow of the Institute of Geology, Sri Lanka. His research has received numerous awards, including The President´s Research Award, Sri Lanka, which Prof. Dr. Chandrajith received 12 times from 1999 to 2018, as well as the Ananda Coomaraswamy Medal from the Geological Society of Sri Lank and the National Awards for Science & Technology Achievements for Excellence in international collaboration for advancement of S&T by the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka.
From July 2019 until January 2020, Prof. Dr. Chandrajith is studying seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers and also the geo-environmental factors affecting the kidney disease with unknown etiology in Sri Lanka at FAU´s Chair of Applied Geology/GeoZentrum Nordbayern. His research stay is supported by a Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship.
I hope and wish I can continue my link and collaborations with FAU for many years to come. I always recommend FAU for students as a place to do their PhDs.
Prof. Dr. Chandrajith, you are an expert on coastal groundwater systems. What exactly sparked your interest in this field of research?
Basically, I am interested in investigating geochemistry of groundwater. Particularly in many developing countries including Sri Lanka, where I come from, a majority of people obtain groundwater for drinking and other purposes, including agriculture. Most of the time, they use this water with no further purification. Therefore, the geochemical composition of groundwater is very important since some chemical parameters could cause serious health problems. Interestingly, more than half of the world population lives in coastal areas. From these over one billion people live near coastal zones and entirely rely on groundwater from coastal aquifers for their domestic and agricultural consumption. Over extraction of groundwater from costal aquifers can create numerous problems, from which intrusion of salt water into freshwater aquifers is particularly threatening because it is difficult to reverse the damage. With the increasing population in coastal regions, the problem will further aggravate. Therefore, during my present visit to FAU, I am mainly working on these two problems, i.e. investigating water quality related health issues and seawater intrusion in coastal aquifer systems.
Could you give us a short description of your research project at FAU?
I am studying seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers in Sri Lanka. Particularly, in the north and north-western coastal regions of Sri Lanka, where we have sedimentary aquifers. Groundwater in such aquifers can easily become contaminated by seawater, mainly due to over-extraction of water. Also note that predicted climate change and associated sea level rise could further enhance this problem. Sri Lanka, with its 1,340 km long coastal belt, has been identified as a water-related vulnerability hotspot, where freshwater resources are under stress due to climate change impacts. I am trying to quantify the present statues of costal aquifers in Sri Lanka with the help of geochemical and water isotopes as proxies.
The other research project I am now dealing with is about kidney diseases in Sri Lanka. The reason and mechanisms of this outbreak are largely unknown. The disease is widespread in dryer regions of Sri Lanka and common among rice paddy farming communities. We are now looking for possible relationships between drinking water quality and the disease. We are particularly exploring relations to water quality and environmental toxins that may be delivered to humans via drinking water. Together with Prof. Johannes Barth, who is my host at FAU, we obtained a research grant from Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF), to investigate this problem. During the last two years, we are extensively working together on this unknown health problem in Sri Lanka. We are also collaborating with Professors Kerstin Amann and Christoph Daniel of Department of Nephropathology at FAU in this project.
FAU is not a strange place for me. I did my doctoral studies here in Erlangen way back in 1999. In 2006, again, I came here and carried out research for 15 months under a fellowship from von Humboldt foundation. Therefore, I am very familiar with FAU and the city of Erlangen. I visit Erlangen and also FAU regularly.
What do you, your host Prof. Barth and your colleague Prof. Dr. Daesslé-Heuser hope to achieve with your research?
I have collaborated with Prof. Barth since 2012, and we have already published several international research publications in well-reputed scientific journals. In addition, we obtained two collaborative research grants, one from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the other from the BMBF. Both grants are highly beneficial to solve groundwater related problems in Sri Lanka.
I know Prof. Dr. Daesslé-Heuser since 2007, when I first came to FAU as a Humboldt fellow. Since then we became very good friends, although we live on different sides of the world.* Now we both work on the same problem but the problem is relevant to both our home countries. Although both countries are located far away from each other, we have similar situations and similar problems in coastal regions. We are currently trying to compare coastal aquifers in both countries and try to identify possible mechanisms of contamination of coastal aquifers. Overall, sharing of knowledge is very important for both of us since we are dealing with similar problems.
How could your research benefit society?
Both my ongoing research are highly beneficial to the public because groundwater is the main source of drinking water and any contaminant, whether originating from natural or anthropogenic sources, can be harmful to consumers. Regarding the kidney disease problem, we are trying to determine whether any environmental toxin enters the human body via drinking water. Due to the remarkable geographic distribution of the disease, we suspect that the contaminants are probably ingested via drinking water.
Our groundwater salinization studies will be beneficial to apply proper groundwater management in problematic areas. If we can identify vulnerable regions and also quantify the present situation, we help to better identify and manage problems. Once the aquifers are contaminated with salt water, then it is difficult to reverse the situation. Therefore, early identification of vulnerable areas is extremely important.
What were your reasons for choosing FAU as your host institution?
FAU is not a strange place for me. I did my doctoral studies here in Erlangen way back in 1999. In 2006, again, I came here and carried out research for 15 months under a fellowship from von Humboldt foundation. Therefore, I am very familiar with FAU and the city of Erlangen. I visit Erlangen and also FAU regularly.
What do you like most about FAU?
People here are very friendly and helpful. I know the Geozentrum Nordbayern (GZN) and its nice friendly people for quite some time. Working here is easy and comfortable. I can use excellent facilities at the GZN including a first class stable isotope laboratory of Angewandte Geologie for my research studies. Most of the advanced instruments available here are not accessible in my home country. I love the amazing atmosphere in Erlangen and I enjoy my work here. Also like the diverse community in the university as well as in the city of Erlangen.
How can you relax the best?
Most of my free time, particularly during the weekends, I try to visit some other interesting cities in Franconia.
How do you like Franconia?
Erlangen, Franconia and Germany are not strange places for me. During my stays here, I have visited many beautiful cities in Franconia and enjoyed cultural differences and food in different regions. I also enjoyed the natural environment in this region, in particular in the Fränkische Schweiz.
Is there anything else you would like to mention?
I hope and wish I can continue my link and collaborations with FAU for many years to come. I always recommend FAU for students as a place to do their PhDs.
Thank you for the interview, Prof. Dr. Chandrajith.
* Editor´s note: Prof. Dr. Daesslé-Heuser lives in Mexico.