Dandeniya Warshi Shamila

Dr. Warshi Dandeniya is a senior lecturer and presently the Head of the Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. She has a B.Sc. in Agriculture, M.Phil. in Soil Science and a Ph.D. in Soil Science. Her research focuses on understanding the effects of environmental perturbation on soil microorganisms and soil microbial community dynamics on nutrient cycling in cropping systems. Dr. Dandeniya's lab group is presently engaged in developing botanical nitrification inhibitors to reduce fertilizer wastage, formulating biofertilizers to reduce inorganic fertilizer requirement in paddy sector of the country, assessing the effect of poultry farming on distribution of antibiotic resistance determinants in the environment and documenting the diversity of bacteria and fungi in forest soils of Sri Lanka using a metagenomic approach. Her research programs have been funded by National Research Council of Sri Lanka, Biodiversity Secretariat of Sri Lanka, Peradeniya University Research Grants, and International Foundation for Science (IFS) - Sweden.