Mohan Edirisinghe

Mohan Jayantha Edirisinghe
Born
Sri Lanka
EducationUniversity of Leeds
University of Moratuwa
St Thomas College, Mount Lavinia
Scientific career
WorkplacesUniversity College London
Theses
Websitehttps://www.edirisinghelab.com/

Mohan Jayantha Edirisinghe is a Sri Lankan biomaterials engineer who is the Bonfield Chair of Biomaterials in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University College London. Edirisinghe studies new materials forming methodologies, with a focus on the development of new biostructures. He was appointed an Order of the British Empire in the 2021 New Year Honours for his services to Biomedical Engineering. As of July 2026, Professor Edirisinghe has an h-index of 82 according to Google Scholar.

Early life and education

Edirisinghe was born in Sri Lanka. He was educated at the St Thomas College, Mount Lavinia. He studied at the University of Moratuwa in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, in a joint course between the British Council and University of Leeds. He eventually moved to Leeds for his postgraduate studies, where he completed a doctorate on alloy additions and how they impact the properties of cast iron and then a Doctor of Science degree was awarded for his materials research in 2000 by the University of Leeds.

Research and career

Edirisinghe works on materials forming and manufacturing for healthcare and drug delivery. He has developed complex nanofibres that can be used to generate antimicrobial filters, and nanobubbles that facilitate new modes of drug delivery. He developed electrohydrodyanmic printing methods (e.g. electro-spinning and electro-spraying) for biomedical applications. In 2010, Edirisinghe's inventions led to AtoCap, a spin-out company who focus on the encapsulation of generic drugs (e.g. antibiotics and chemotherapeutics) into a complex capsule. He has studied the protein composition of milk, and identified that casein, which contributes 80% of the protein in dairy milk, has anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties. Edirisinghe demonstrated that it could be incorporated into biodegradable plastic bandages to accelerate wound healing.

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Edirisinghe worked with the Royal Academy of Engineering to create new respirator masks. His antiviral masks were developed and also worked on air filters that could be used in care homes, schools and on public transport.

Awards and honours

Selected publications

* The full list of publications can be accessed here.

References

  1. ↑ "Google Scholar". Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "'I still love getting my hands dirty'". Times Online - Daily Online Edition of The Sunday Times Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  3. ↑ UCL (2021-03-03). "Mohan Edirisinghe". Mechanical Engineering. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  4. ↑ Edirisinghe, M. J. (1983). Alloy additions and their effect on the structure and properties of cast iron (Ph.D. thesis). University of Leeds.
  5. 1 2 3 UCL (2017-05-09). "Record-breaking month for Professor Mohan Edirisinghe". UCL News. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  6. ↑ Sofokleous, Panagiotis; Stride, Eleanor; Bonfield, William; Edirisinghe, Mohan (January 2013). "Design, construction and performance of a portable handheld electrohydrodynamic multi-needle spray gun for biomedical applications". Materials Science and Engineering: C. 33 (1): 213–223. doi:10.1016/j.msec.2012.08.033. PMID 25428065.
  7. ↑ "Welcome - Atocap". Welcome - Atocap. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  8. 1 2 PA (2023-07-25). "Protein used as weight-training supplement 'may also speed up wound healing'". Jersey Evening Post. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  9. ↑ Alenezi, Hussain; Cam, Muhammet Emin; Edirisinghe, Mohan (March 2021). "A novel reusable anti-COVID-19 transparent face respirator with optimized airflow". Bio-Design and Manufacturing. 4 (1): 1–9. doi:10.1007/s42242-020-00097-1. hdl:11424/243045. ISSN 2096-5524. PMC 7520078. PMID 33014512.
  10. ↑ "Brian Mercer Award for Innovation | Royal Society". royalsociety.org. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  11. ↑ "Kroll Medal & Prize (not available in 2024)". Institute of Material, Minerals & Mining. Archived from the original on 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  12. ↑ UCL (2010-06-01). "Microbubble pioneers win £25,000 prize". UCL News. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  13. ↑ "UKSB Prizes – UKSB". Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  14. 1 2 "Prizes & Awards | London | Professor Mohan Edirisinghe". mohan-edirisinghe. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  15. ↑ "Prof. Mohan Edirisinghe is to be awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering Colin Campbell Mitchell Award 2023 – European Academy of Sciences". 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  16. ↑ UCL (2023-06-12). "Biomaterials processing expert wins Royal Academy of Engineering award". Mechanical Engineering. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  17. ↑ "Polymer engineering and manufacturing pioneer wins prestigious Academy Award". raeng.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  18. ↑ "The Royal Society announces this year's medal and award winners | Royal Society". royalsociety.org. Retrieved 2023-09-11.