Dr. Pushpika Katugampola

Assistant Professor, Chemistry pkatugampola@sf.edu

Bio

Dr. Pushpika Katugampola, the recipient of the Teaching Award for excellence in undergraduate teaching, graduated from Delaware State University with a Ph.D. in chemistry. She also studied biochemistry at Southern Illinois University in her masters’ studies and received her BS in human biology (Major in biochemistry) at the faculty of medical sciences in University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. She has more than ten years of experience in teaching general chemistry, organic chemistry, and biochemistry in various institutions. Dr. Katugampola believes in anything is possible with preparation, dedication, and hard work in a student-centered active learning environment. She conducts research on polymer chemistry, organic chemistry, and chemical education. Her research interests lie in biomedical engineering areas such as chemical modification of biopolymers, electrospinning nanofibers, and drug delivery systems.

Areas of Interest

Organic Chemistry
Polymer Chemistry
Chemical Education

Selected Publications

Pushpika Katugampola and Cherese Winstead Casson. Rheology and thermal studies of stearoyl chitosan varying the degree of substitution. IOSR Journal of Polymer and Textile Engineering 2017, vol 4, issue 1, p 22-29.
Pushpika Katugampola and Cherese Winstead. Rheological behavior and thermal stability of palmitoyl chitosan varying the degree of substitution. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Science Invention 2014, vol 3, issue 11, p 24-32.
Pushpika Katugampola, Cherese Winstead and Ayobami Adeleke. Thermal stability of carboxymethyl chitosan varying the degree of substitution. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Science Invention 2014, vol 3, issue 5, p 42-48.
Cherese Winstead and Pushpika Katugampola, Rheological and structural studies of carboxymethyl derivatives of chitosan, AIP conference proceedings, 2014, vol 1599, p 290-293.