Prabha Amarasinghe

About

I am a plant biologist who conducts interdisciplinary research. My research integrates genomics, cytology, anatomy, ecology, and morphology of plants using bioinformatics to generate predictive models that address a range of questions in plant evolution and ecology. I combine these heterogeneous datasets to gain new insights into plant evolution and breeding and contribute to plant conservation.

Employment

• MOgene (United States)
  2021 - Present
• Prairie View A&M University Postdoctoral researcher
  2020 - 2021
• Florida Museum of Natural History Teaching assistant
  2015 - Present
• Univesity of Kelaniya Lecturer
  2013 - 2015
• University of Peradeniya Lecturer
  2009 - 2010

Education

• Institute of Biochemistry Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Masters
  2011 - 2013
• University of Peradeniya BSc

Projects & Funding

• Integrated approach to understand evolution of Memecylon Botanical Society of America
• Integrated approach to understand evolution of Memecylon American Society of Plant Taxonomists
• Phylogeny and niche modeling of Memecylon International Association for Plant taxonomy
• Evolution of Memecylon Florida Museum of Natural History

Publications (10)

• The morphological and anatomical variability of the stems of an industrial hemp collection and the properties of its fibres
  Heliyon 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09276
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• Niche dynamics of Memecylon in Sri Lanka: Distribution patterns, climate change effects, and conservation priorities
  Ecology and Evolution 2021 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8415
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• Evolution and biogeography of Memecylon
  Prabha Amarasinghe, Sneha Joshi, Navendu Page +7 more
  American Journal of Botany 2021 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1624
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• Discordance in a South African memecylon clade (Melastomataceae): Evidence for reticulate evolution
  International Journal of Plant Sciences 2021 DOI: 10.1086/715636
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• A two‐tier bioinformatic pipeline to develop probes for target capture of nuclear loci with applications in Melastomataceae
  Applications in Plant Sciences 2020 DOI: 10.1002/aps3.11345
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• Developing tools to capture loci of two distant clades of Melastomataceae
  Botany 2018 2018
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• Niches, distribution and natural history: towards understanding the drivers of diversification of Memecylon (Melastomataceae)
  2017
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• A field guide to the economically important plants of Sri Lanka
  Stamford Lake (Pvt.) Ltd. 2016
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• Development of DNA Barcodes and Optimization of DNA Isolation and PCR Protocols for a Medicinal Plant Plectranthus hadiensis
  International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) 2015
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• A NEW SPECIES OF RHINACANTHUS (ACANTHACEAE) FROM SRI LANKA
  Edinburgh Journal of Botany 2011 DOI: 10.1017/s0960428611000278
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