ABOUT & CV
A materials scientist.
A curious mind.
I’m Nayanathara, a researcher exploring the relationship between polymer structure, processing, and transport.
I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Rice University and an Advanced Light Source Postdoctoral Fellow in Residence at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
I earned my PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at Iowa State University in 2026, working with Boyce Chang. Before graduate school, I studied at the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka and served as a Junior Lecturer.
ACADEMIC PATH
Learning across
places & scales.
- 2026 — PRESENT
Postdoctoral research
Rice University & Advanced Light Source
Transport in ionomer thin films. - 2026
PhD, Materials Science & Engineering
Iowa State University
Advisor: Boyce Chang - 2020
BSc (Hons), Materials Science & Engineering
University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
CURRICULUM VITAE
The fuller picture.
For a full CV, please get in touch by email. Selected research and publications are available throughout this site.
Image notes
The portrait is from Rice University’s public profile. The molecular scenes are original conceptual illustrations of the research themes, animated with Three.js. They do not show experimental data or quantitative simulations. Motion can be paused and follows your device’s reduced-motion preference.
SCIENCE STARTS WITH A CONVERSATION
Let’s connect.
Research enquiries & collaborations