Ranjith Pathegama Gamage

Last updated
Ranjith Pathegama Gamage
Ranjith Pathegama Gamage.jpg
Ranjith Pathegama Gamage.
Born
Alma mater Telijjawila Central College
University of Moratuwa(BSc)
University of Wollongong(Ph.D)
Monash University(DSc)
Known forSustainable resource extraction and carbon sequestration
Awards Humboldt Research Award
Senior Fulbright Scholar
Scientific career
FieldsGeomechanics, critical Mineral and Resources
Institutions Nanyang Technological University
Present: Monash University

Ranjith Pathegama Gamage is an Australian academic based at Monash University, where he holds the position of Professor in Geomechanics Engineering. [1] [2] He is known for his research of the Carbon sequestration [2] and his development of sustainable technologies [3] for extracting resources [4] [5] from deep earth [6] and natural gas from coal seams, shale, and tight geological formations. [1] [2] He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering as well as the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Engineers Australia.

Contents


Early life and education

Ranjith Pathegama Gamage was born in Sri Lanka and he received his BSc in Engineering with first class honours from the University of Moratuwa, after which he gained a PhD from Wollongong University, Australia. [7] His PhD was on the “Stress-strain and permeability characteristics of two-phase (water+gas) flow through fractured rocks”. [8] His first job after the PhD was as an assistant professor at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. [1] He returned to Australia in 2003 to work at Monash University [1] where he is Director of International Affairs, Professor in Geomechanics Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering. [9]

Academic and research career

Gamage is the founder and director of the Deep Earth Energy Research Lab [10] [11] at Monash University. His research areas include Carbon sequestration, unconventional oil, unconventional gas (shale gas, tight gas, coal seam gas, gas hydrate), [12] deep geothermal energy, [13] [14] [15] [3] [16] [17] geomechanics, rock mechanics, enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methodologies, hydraulic fracturing, sand production from unconsolidated reservoirs, and future technologies for in-situ mining. [1] [4] He has also done work in converting industrial waste products into useful and environmentally sustainable materials, such as cement or fertiliser. [18] Around 2015 he began developing a new product for sustainable deep earth resource recovery: called SREMA [19] He also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Geomechanics and Geophysics for GeoEnergy and GeoResource. [20] and is the founder and Chair of the International Conference on Geomechanics for GeoEnergy and GeoResources (IC3G) which runs every two years. [21] [22] [23]

Awards and honours

In 2010 Gamage was named a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Engineers Australia. [24] In 2017 he received a Elsevier Scopus award for Sustainability. [25] Then in 2019, Gamage was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. [26] In 2020 he was named a finalist for 2020 R&D 100 Awards, [27] and was named a Fellow of Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) [28] and the Geological Society in the UK. [29] From 2020-21 The Australian listed him as one of nine global leaders in Mining and Mineral Resources technology, and in 2021 the publication named him an Australian Field Leader in the field of Environmental and Geological Engineering. [30] [31] In 2021 he was also elected as Member of European Academy of Science and Arts, Europe (MAE), [32] and in 2022 he was elected as Foreign Fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineering, India (FINAE). [33]

In 2023 he was elected as Foreign Fellow of Chinese Academy of Engineering (FCAE). [34] The Australian named him a Global Research Leader in Mineral Resources [35] and Geotechnical Engineering that year, [35] and in 2024 in Mining & Mineral Resources. [36] In 2024, Gamage was named a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate. [37] He became a Senior Fulbright Scholar in 2025, where his project “Revolutionising Critical Mineral Extraction for the Renewable Energy Transition” will be pursued at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in California. [9] For his contributions to mineral and resources engineering, including advancements in geothermal energy, Gamage was awarded the Humboldt Research Award in 2025. [38]

In 2025, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in recognition of his significant contributions and impact in the field of sustainable resource recovery. [39] In the same year, he was named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher, recognising sustained global research influence and citation impact. [40] He also received the Australia–China Alumni Award Medal for Contribution to Cultural Exchange at the 2025 Beijing Awards Ceremony, awarded by the Australia–China Alumni Association. [41] Additionally, he was recognised as an Australian Leader in Mining & Mineral Resources by The Australian Research Magazine for his contributions to the field. [42] He further received the University of Wollongong Alumni Award for Research Excellence in 2025, acknowledging his research leadership and global impact. [43] He also received the Chinese Government Friendship Award, the highest honour awarded to foreign experts for outstanding contributions to China’s development. [44]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ranjith Pathegama Gamage". Monash University.
  2. 1 2 3 "Prof. Ranjith Pathegama". Association of Geotechnical Societies in Southeast Asia.
  3. 1 2 "IIT Hyderabad Analysis Moots Geothermal Energy As A Greener Alternative To Technologies Currently In Use". BW Education. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  4. 1 2 "Research September 2020 — Research special report". Research September 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  5. "Unlocking the door' to sustainable mineral and energy recovery". Australian Research Council (ARC). 16 October 2020.
  6. "Buried treasure" (PDF).
  7. "Professor Ranjith Pathegama Gamage". Engineering. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  8. Indraratna, B.; Ranjith, P. G. (2001). "Laboratory Measurement of Two-Phase Flow Parameters in Rock Joints Based on High Pressure Triaxial Testing". Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering. 127 (6): 530–542. Bibcode:2001JGGE..127..530I. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2001)127:6(530).
  9. 1 2 "Our Best and Brightest: Meet Monash Engineering's Fulbright Scholars 2025". Engineering. February 4, 2025.
  10. "3GDeep Research Group, Monash University". 3GDeep.
  11. "Deep Earth Energy". Civil Engineering, Monash University.
  12. "Deep beyond fracking: How gas extraction can unearth cleaner energy sources". Monash Lens. 2020-11-23. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  13. Bhattacharyya, Rica. "IIT Hyderabad analysis says geothermal energy better than photovoltaic energy". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  14. "Is Solar All That 'Green'? Here's Why IIT-Hyd Thinks Geothermal Energy Is More Eco-Friendly". The Better India. 2020-01-11. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  15. "IIT-H, Monash university analysis moots geothermal energy". The Hindu. 2020-01-09. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  16. "Geothermal energy better than solar power: IIT-Hyderabad and Australian varsity joint study". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  17. "Geothermal Energy is better than photovoltaic energy: IIT-H researchers claims".
  18. P.G. Ranjith, N.L.Ukwattage; M.Bouazza (July 2013). "The use of coal combustion fly ash as a soil amendment in agricultural lands (with comments on its potential to improve food security and sequester carbon)" . Fuel. 109: 400–408. Bibcode:2013Fuel..109..400U. doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2013.02.016.
  19. P.G. Ranjith, V.R.S.De Silva; M.S.A.Perera, B.Wu (October 2018). "A modified, hydrophobic soundless cracking demolition agent for non-explosive demolition and fracturing applications" . Process Safety and Environmental Protection. 119: 1–13. Bibcode:2018PSEP..119....1D. doi:10.1016/j.psep.2018.07.010. S2CID   105571313.
  20. "Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources". Springer.
  21. "International conference on Geomechanics, Geoenergy and Georesources (2018)". IC3G 2018.
  22. "International conference on Geomechanics, Geoenergy and Georesources (2016)". IC3G 2016.
  23. "International Conference on Geo-mechanics, Geo-energy and Geo-resources". www.science-community.org. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  24. "Prof. Ranjith Pathegama". AGSSEA.
  25. "Video: Ranjith Pathegama Gamage -- Scopus Awards winner". newscientist.com.
  26. "Professor Ranjith Pathegama Gamage – Resource recovery innovator". ATSE.
  27. "Finalists for 2020 R&D 100 Awards are unveiled". Research & Development World. 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  28. IOM3. "Homepage". www.iom3.org. Retrieved 2021-02-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. "The Geological Society of London - Home". www.geolsoc.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  30. "The Australian's Research magazine takes a deep dive into research" . Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  31. "RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2021 : The List: Our top 250 researchers" . Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  32. "Members | European Academy of Sciences and Arts". members.euro-acad.eu.
  33. "Expert Pool Members". INAE. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  34. "Foreign Members". Chinese Academy of Engineering.
  35. 1 2 "We delve deep into the data to reveal excellence" . Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  36. Tim Dodd and Paul McCarthy (November 26, 2024). "The 2025 Research magazine showcases Australia's best". The Australian.
  37. "Highly Cited Researchers | Clarivate". clarivate.com. November 13, 2024.
  38. "Prof. Dr. Ranjith Nandakumara Pathegama Gamage". www.humboldt-foundation.de.
  39. Royal Academy of Engineering – Fellows elected 2025
  40. Clarivate – Highly Cited Researchers 2025
  41. Australia China Alumni Association – 2025 Alumni Awards Winners
  42. The Australian Research Magazine – 2025 Leaders in Mining & Mineral Resources
  43. University of Wollongong – Alumni Awards 2025
  44. Chinese Government – Friendship Award 2025