Eminent Prof. Leslie Gunatilaka, Director of Natural Products Center, University of Arizona, USA will deliver the special lecture  “Relevance of Innovation and Multidisciplinary Collaboration in Natural Product Discovery & Development” on 20th March 2023 at the NIFS premises on 11.00 a.m. onwards. This event will continue as a hybrid event.

Prof. Gunatilaka has a broad range of research interests including biologically active natural products from plants and their associated micro-organisms, anticancer drug discovery, and the medicinal chemistry of natural products, and has pioneered the isolation and characterization of secondary metabolites from rhizospheres and endolichenic fungi.

Moreover, he is a fellow of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and has received many honors and awards, including the Sri Lankan Presidential Gold Medal for developing a Center of Excellence in Natural Products Research at the University of Peradeniya and a Leading Edge Award for Innovative Research from the University of Arizona.