Dr Chaturaka Rodrigo | UNSW Research

My Expertise

My expertise is in unravelling the pathogenesis of emerging viral infections by using cutting-edge sequencing and other technologies. Our work is mostly focussed on pathogenic RNA viruses. We use dengue virus as a model for acute infections and the Hepatitis C virus as a model for chronic infections to test our hypotheses. We use a range of techniques such as next and third generation sequencing, advanced immunological assays, mathematical modelling, phylogenetics, machine learning and clinical metagenomics to improve diagnosis, prevention, treatment and outcome prediction of infections.

Keywords

infectious diseases

neglected tropical diseases

Fields of Research (FoR)

Infectious diseases, Clinical microbiology, Sequence analysis

SEO tags

Infectious Diseases

Disease Distribution and Transmission (incl. Surveillance and Response)

Biography

As a Senior Lecturer in Pathology at UNSW, I am an educator and a researcher focussing on neglected tropical diseases and emerging viral infections.

I am the chairperson of Human Research Ethics Committee (C) of UNSW, and a member of the higher degree research review panel at Kirby Institute. I am also the Secretary of the Australian Centre for Hepatitis Virology. My other administrative roles include being an editorial board member or an associate editor for BMC Infectious Diseases (formerly), Cochrane Clinical Answers, Systematic Reviews, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases and Frontiers in Education, and a Cochrane author affiliated to the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group. I am a clinician trained in Internal Medicine and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, United Kingdom. As an educator, I am a fellow of the Higher Education Academy of United Kingdom and my teaching portfolio can be accessed here.

My research program is affiliated to the Viral Immunology Systems Program of Kirby Institute and supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council. Current projects focus on emerging viral (Dengue, Zika, Hepatitis C, SARS-nCoV-2), and other tropical infections (Q fever and Rickettsial infections, leptospirosis, malaria). Our work extends from basic laboratory research to clinical research and translation, and evidence synthesis to improve the diagnosis and treatment of tropical infections.

My Grants

Testing the capacity of aerosol surveillance for pathogen outbreaks. Triple I seed grant funding, 2024 -2025

Investigator Initiated Research grant, Seqirus Australia (Industry grant), Prevalence of missed Q fever in Australia, 2021-2022

H2Seq: Viral genomics for public health interventions in HIV and HCV - Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), 2021 - 2026

NHMRC Investigator grant (Emerging Leader 1 category), 2020 - 2024

SOMS Early Career Research support grant 2018 -2019

Research Infrastructure Support Scheme (4 grants) , UNSW 2017, 2018, 2024

My Qualifications

MBBS MRCP(UK) MD PhD FHEA FRCP

My Awards

Reasearch Excellence Award (for impactful research collaborations), Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW, 2023
Paper of the Month, September 2022, School of Biomedical Sciences, UNSW
Paper of the Month, December 2020, School of Medical Sciences, UNSW
Award for Adaptability and Innovation in Pathology teaching, 2020, School of Medical Sciences, UNSW
Paper of the Month, January 2020, School of Medical Sciences, UNSW
University award for teaching excellence (early career and rising star), UNSW Sydney, 2019
Robert Dixon award for the best presentation (Hepatitis) at the annual workshop of the Australian Centre for HIV and Hepatitis Virology Research. Canungra, QLD, Australia 2019
Award for teaching excellence (early career staff), Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Sydney 2018
University International Postgraduate Research Award / Scholarship for PhD studies, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. 2014 – 2017
Top-up scholarship for PhD studies, School of Medical Sciences, UNSW Sydney. 2014-2017
Robert Dixon award for the best oral presentation at the annual workshop of the Australian Centre for HIV and Hepatitis Virology Research. Barossa Valley, SA, Australia 2017
Paper of the Month, October 2016, School of Medical Sciences, UNSW
Australasian Viral Hepatitis Conference Scholarship. Gold coast, Australia. 2016
New Investigator Scholarship, 5th International symposium on hepatitis care in substance users. Oslo, Norway. 2016
Victorian infectious diseases reference laboratory (VIDRL) educational grant (Hepatitis). Awarded at the annual workshop of the Australian Centre for HIV and Hepatitis Virology Research. Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia 2015
Training fellowship. Cochrane infectious diseases group. Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom. 2014
Excellence award for the most outstanding junior researcher of Sri Lanka awarded by the Committee of Vice-chancellors and Directors (CVCD). 2012
Award for scientific publications by the President of Sri Lanka 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
University Research Award for best researcher in Faculty of Medicine, 2014. University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

My Research Activities

Vulnerability to severe dengue infection, Next generation sequencing, molecular epidemiology and evolutionary analysis of RNA viruses, Host immunity against RNA virus infections

My Research Supervision

Supervision keywords

dengue

hepatitis c

next generation sequencing

rna virus infections

neglected tropical diseases

Areas of supervision

PhD students

Currently supervising

Completed Supervisions - PhD

Dr. Nasir Riaz (Joint Primary Supervisor), Single molecule whole genome sequencing of the Hepatitis C (HCV) virus and its applications, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW, 2017 -2020.
Dr. Arunasingam Abayasingam (Joint Primary Supervisor), Neutralizing antibody responses in acute hepatitis C and SARS-nCoV-2 infection, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW, 2017- 2021
Dr. Hossain Sazzad (Secondary Supervisor), Understanding transmission of hepatitis C in the prisons, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW, 2018-2022
Dr. Braulio Valencia Arroyo (Joint Primary Supervisor), Host and Pathogen Genetic Determinants of Severity and Outcome of Acute Viral Infections, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW, 2018-2023
Dr. Anurag Adhikari (Secondary Supervisor), Anitbody Mediated Cellular Phagocytosis in Hepatitis C and SARS-nCoV-2 Infections, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW, 2018 – 2022

Current Students - PhD

Ms. Samaneh Moallemi (primary supervisor), Biomarkers for severe dengue infection, School of Biomedical Sciences, UNSW, 2020 – 2024
Mr Ahnsul Kabir (joint primary supervisor), Molecular diagnostics for viral infections. School of Biomedical Sciences, UNSW, 2021 – 2024
Dr. Sachith Maduranga (primary supervisor), Molecular epidemiology of dengue infection. School of Biomedical Sciences, UNSW, 2022 - 2025