Research ambassador from Sri Lanka: Insights from Hagen to Colombo

Research ambassador from Sri Lanka: Insights from Hagen to Colombo

Hagen, Deutschland - On June 12, 2025, Dr. Wathsala Athukorala, 51 years old, the University Library of the FernUniversität in Hagen after 18 months. Your stay was part of a program of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation that brings international researchers to Germany. Prof. Dr. Eric Steinhauer, the head of the library, was enthusiastic about her application and invited her to share her experiences in Hagen.

dr. Athukorala is the deputy head of the university library in Colombo and also leads the library of the Sri Pale Campus. She has a master in sociology and library science and did his doctorate in Wuhan, China. During her stay in Germany, she concentrated on the topic of “social media library marketing” and noticed significant differences in access to libraries between Germany and Sri Lanka.

experiences and knowledge

An important gain in knowledge for athukorala was that university libraries in Sri Lanka are often only accessible to students and employees, while in Germany every access to libraries has. She was very impressed by this openness and she plans to bring the open, usage -oriented attitude of German libraries to Sri Lanka. She also recognized the need to digitize old palm leaf manuscripts, which are important in Sri Lanka

In her time in Germany, she traveled several European cities and won the Best Paper Award at a specialist conference in Istanbul. Apart from her academic activity, Dr. Athukorala quickly in Hagen and found spices in a Turkish shop that made it easier for her to cook. Despite the challenges resulting from a life -threatening illness during her stay, she received crucial support from her team and through medical care in Germany.

Another scholarship: Dr. Patricia Marques de Farias

Sustainable Packaging Institutes (spi) Your scholarship runs from February 1, 2025 to January 31, 2027 and focuses on the development of plastic -free and bio -based slides and coatings to contribute to the circular economy.

dr. Marques de Farias comes from Ceará, Brazil and previously worked as a post -doctoral student at the Nutrition Institute of the State University of Rio de Janeiro. Your goal is to develop innovative solutions in the area of ​​packaging that are more environmentally friendly and sustainable.

The role of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

The Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation was founded in 1953 and pursued the science cooperation between foreign and German researchers. The foundation awards research grants and prices to outstanding scientists and enables them to research research in Germany.

By awarding the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship, the Foundation supports the world's leading researchers in its disciplines in order to carry out future-oriented studies at German universities. These programs create permanent connections between international scientists and the German science system.