Teshani Kumarage

Teshani Kumarage is a second year PhD student in the Physics Department at Virginia Tech, where she works under the supervision of Prof. Rana Ashkar. She completed her undergraduate degree in Physics with 1st class Honors from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and was awarded Prof. A.W Wolfendale prize for the best performance in 1st year of special degree program in Physics. She joined the graduate program at Virginia Tech in Fall 2019 and currently holds the College of Science graduate opportunity fellowship. Her graduate studies primarily focus on understanding the effects of molecular additives on the structural, mechanical, and dynamical properties of model and biological cell membranes. In her studies, she uses a combination of standard and novel techniques, including Langmuir trough, differential scanning calorimetry, and neutron scattering spectroscopy.