Sujani Rathnayake
Arrell Scholar Alumna, Integrated Biology
Sujani completed her masters studies is in 2023 studying the application of high-throughput [DNA metabarcoding based] molecular tools for food authentication in Dr. Robert Hanner’s lab in the Department of Integrated Biology. Next, Sujani will be pursuing a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a collaborative specialization in One Health, in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Biological Sciences at the University of Guelph. She will study fusarium headblight and mycotoxin detoxification in wheat under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Geddes-McAlister.
Back to Our Experts“I strongly believe that safe and quality food is a basic human right and that every human being should have access to such food and has the right to know the composition of the food they are being served or purchased at the market.”
Research Interests and Future Goals
Sujani attributes growing up in a country with vast culinary diversity, delicious cuisine, and authentic flavours as a key motivation for pursuing research in the field of food authentication. She witnessed a deterioration in the quality and authenticity of the food she was consuming since she was a child and wanted to investigate these changes. These changes further instilled in her the notion that safe and quality foods are a basic human right and consumers should know where their food is coming from.
Seafood and syrups are easily prone to economically motivated adulteration due to their complex composition and extensive processing. Nutrient rich syrups such as maple syrup may be prone to microbial contaminations across the production chain from sap to syrup. Food adulterants and microbial spoilage are major concerns in terms of supply chain transparency, consumer perception, and public health. Sujani’s research explores the advancing methods for detection of food adulterants and microbial contaminants of highly processed food. Her research on the effectiveness of combining test samples for cost effective screening of seafood fraud can be readily applied at industrial settings by food business operators. Sujani describes molecular food authentication research as an excellent field to engage in hands-on learning while realizing her vision of understanding molecular tools and fulfilling her interest in becoming a molecular biological researcher.
Why become an Arrell Scholar?
The University of Guelph is a leader in food and is the birthplace of DNA barcoding, one of Sujani’s main research interests. She was excited about the opportunity to work with this technology and experts in the field. She felt this was the right place to help her thrive and explore her research interests. She chose AFI as it overlaps with her vision of addressing food insecurity through research and recognized that it would provide her with not only lab-based experience but also allow her to reach a broader audience while sharpening her leadership skills.