Department of Basic Sciences

Faculty of Allied Health Sciences

Department of Basic Sciences

Faculty of Allied Health Sciences

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Prof. Gayan Bowatte

BSc (Hons), PhD

Official Address :

Department of Basic Sciences,
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,
University of Peradeniya,
Peradeniya,
Sri Lanka


Email : gayan.bowatte@ahs.pdn.ac.lk

Telephone :

+94-813761444

           




Education/Professional Qualification

  • PhD in Epidemiology, University of Melbourne, Australia, 2016

  • BSc (Hons) in Zoology, Second Class (Upper Division), University of Peradeniya, 2009

Professional Qualifications / Teaching Experience

  • Professor, University of Peradeniya, 2025–present
  • Head, Department of Basic Sciences, 2025–present
  • Director, Multidisciplinary Environmental and Health Research Centre (MEHRC), 2026–present
  • Senior Lecturer Grade I, 2019–2025
  • Honorary Fellow, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, 2024–present
  • Visiting Research Fellow, National Institute of Fundamental Studies, 2019–2020
  • Research Fellow, National Institute of Fundamental Studies, 2018–2019
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Melbourne, 2016–2018

Research Interests

Research interests include environmental epidemiology; ambient and household air pollution; respiratory and allergic diseases; air-pollution exposure assessment; low-cost sensor calibration and sensor networks; Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and land-use regression; satellite remote sensing; machine learning and spatiotemporal modelling; longitudinal, birth-cohort, and life-course epidemiology; and air-quality policy and knowledge translation.

Contribution to the Faculty / Academic group/ Positions held

  • Chair, Faculty Research Committee, 2026–present
  • Chair, Faculty Publication Committee, 2022–present
  • Chair, Faculty Orientation Committee, 2025–present
  • Chair, Faculty Ethics Review Committee, 2022–2025
  • Chair, Faculty Library Committee, 2023–2025
  • Co-chair, Faculty Infrastructure Committee, 2026–present
  • University Proctor (Acting), 2024 (January–May)
  • Deputy Proctor, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, 2020–2024
  • Faculty Representative, Senate Research Committee, 2026–present
  • Faculty Representative, Senate Publication Committee, 2022–present
  • Faculty Representative, Senate Library Committee, 2023–2025

Memberships

  • Editorial Board Member, Sri Lanka National Science Foundation Journal, 2026–present
  • Editorial Board Member, Ceylon Journal of Science, 2025–present
  • Editorial Board Member, EC Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine, 2022–2025
  • Member of Environmental Justice Australia's Science Advisory Group, 2017–2021
  • Committee Member, Early Career Network, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 2017
  • Member, Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand
  • Member, European Respiratory Society
  • Member, Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand
  • Member, International Society for Environmental Epidemiology
  • Member, Ethics Review Committee, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences

Awards

  • Presidential Awards for Scientific Publications, 2024
  • University of Peradeniya Tier 4* Research Awards, 2020
  • European Respiratory Society (ERS) Young Scientist Award, 2017
  • Melbourne School of Population and Global Health Head’s Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research, 2017
  • Centre for Air Quality and Health Research Evaluation (CAR) Travel Award, 2017
  • Centre for Air Quality and Health Research Evaluation (CAR) International Postdoctoral Training Award, 2017
  • Centre for Air Quality and Health Research Evaluation (CAR) Travel Award, 2017
  • Centre for Air Quality and Health Research Evaluation (CAR) Travel Award, 2015
  • Population Health Investing in Research Students’ Training (PHIRST) Travel Award, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, 2015

Research Publication(Recent)

Google Scholar

    Peer reviewed journal articles

    Selected Recent Publications

  • Liu J, Lodge CJ, Perret JL, Vicendese D, Idrose NS, Tan DJ, Lowe AJ, Bowatte G, et al. FEF25–75% trajectories from age 7 to 53 years, associations with childhood and parental preconception factors, and midlife COPD risk: a prospective cohort study. Lancet Respiratory Medicine. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(26)00163-3
  • Liu J, Perret JL, Lodge CJ, Vicendese D, Bowatte G, Lowe AJ, et al. Paternal prepubertal passive smoke exposure is related to impaired lung function trajectories from childhood to middle age in their offspring. Thorax. 2026;81(2):131–139. https://doi.org/10.1136/thorax-2024-222482
  • Liu J, Perret JL, Lodge CJ, Vicendese D, Idrose NS, Bowatte G, et al. Parental smoke exposure before age 15 years and offspring asthma trajectories from ages 7 to 53 years. ERJ Open Research. 2026;12(1):00655-2025. https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00655-2025
  • Attanayake G, Senarathna M, Bergin M, Carlson D, Bhave PV, Bowatte G, Harischandra N. An RF-CNN pipeline for predicting PM2.5 concentration in Sri Lanka. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances. 2025;19:100782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100782
  • Ali GB, Lowe AJ, Walters EH, Perret JL, Erbas B, Lodge CJ, Bowatte G, et al. Lifetime body mass index trajectories and contrasting lung function abnormalities in mid-adulthood: data from the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study. Respirology. 2025;30(3):230–241. https://doi.org/10.1111/resp.14882
  • Suresh S, Perret JL, Walters EH, Abramson MJ, Bowatte G, Lodge CJ, et al. Disease burden, comorbidities and antecedents of chronic cough phenotypes in Australian adults. Pulmonology. 2025;31(1):1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pulmoe.2023.08.003
  • Idrose NS, Vicendese D, Walters EH, Perret JL, Koplin JJ, Douglass JA, Tham RCA, Frith P, Bui DS, Lowe AJ, Abramson MJ, Bowatte G, Erbas B, Knibbs LD, Senaratna C, Lodge CJ, Dharmage SC. Multiple at-risk groups have lower lung function during the grass pollen season. Allergology International. 2025;74(3):482–484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alit.2025.02.003
  • Tan DJ, Lodge CJ, Walters EH, Bui DS, Pham J, Lowe AJ, Bowatte G, et al. Can we use lung function thresholds and respiratory symptoms to identify pre-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? A prospective, population-based cohort study. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2024;209(12):1431–1440. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.202212-2330OC
  • Senarathna M, Jayaratne R, Abeysundara S, Weerasooriya R, Welikannage K, Morawska L, Bowatte G. PM2.5 air pollution trends and patterns in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Ceylon Journal of Science. 2024;53(2):197–206. https://doi.org/10.4038/cjs.v53i2.8403
  • Dalugodage SS, Bowatte G, Antonypillai C, Rajapakse S, Tennakoon TMIUK. Association of pharmacogenomic, clinical and behavioural factors with oral levothyroxine dose of hypothyroid patients in Sri Lanka: a matched case-control study. BMC Medical Genomics. 2024;17:79. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12920-024-01849-z

    • Selected top 10 publications

  • Lodge CJ, Tan DJ, Lau MXZ, Dai X, Tham R, Lowe AJ, Bowatte G, et al. Breastfeeding and asthma and allergies: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Paediatrica. 2015;104(S467):38–53.
    Approx. 860 citations.
  • Bui DS, Lodge CJ, Burgess JA, Lowe AJ, Perret JL, Bui MQ, Bowatte G, et al. Childhood predictors of lung function trajectories and future COPD risk: a prospective cohort study from the first to the sixth decade of life. Lancet Respiratory Medicine. 2018;6(7):535–544.
    Approx. 690 citations.
  • Bowatte G, Tham R, Allen KJ, Tan DJ, Lau MXZ, Dai X, Lodge CJ. Breastfeeding and childhood acute otitis media: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Paediatrica. 2015;104(S467):85–95.
    Approx. 540 citations.
  • Tham R, Bowatte G, Dharmage SC, Tan DJ, Lau MXZ, Dai X, Allen KJ, Lodge CJ. Breastfeeding and the risk of dental caries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Paediatrica. 2015;104(S467):62–84.
    Approx. 500 citations.
  • Bowatte G, Lodge CJ, Lowe AJ, Erbas B, Perret JL, Abramson MJ, Matheson MC, Dharmage SC. The influence of childhood traffic-related air pollution exposure on asthma, allergy and sensitization: a systematic review and meta-analysis of birth cohort studies. Allergy. 2015;70(3):245–256.
    More than 300 citations.
  • Bowatte G, Lodge CJ, Knibbs LD, Lowe AJ, Erbas B, Dennekamp M, et al. Traffic-related air pollution exposure is associated with allergic sensitization, asthma, and poor lung function in middle age. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2017;139(1):122–129.e1.
    Approx. 230 citations.
  • Fuertes E, Markevych I, Bowatte G, Gruzieva O, Gehring U, Becker A, et al. Residential greenness is differentially associated with childhood allergic rhinitis and aeroallergen sensitization in seven birth cohorts. Allergy. 2016;71(10):1461–1471.
    Approx. 190 citations.
  • Bowatte G, Erbas B, Lodge CJ, Knibbs LD, Gurrin LC, Marks GB, et al. Traffic-related air pollution exposure over a five-year period is associated with increased risk of asthma and poor lung function in middle age. European Respiratory Journal. 2017;50(4):1602357.
    Approx. 140 citations.
  • Bui DS, Perret JL, Walters EH, Lodge CJ, Bowatte G, Hamilton GS, et al. Association between very to moderate preterm births, lung function deficits, and COPD at age 53 years: a prospective cohort study. Lancet Respiratory Medicine. 2022;10(5):478–484.
    Approx. 120 citations.
  • Bowatte G, Lodge CJ, Knibbs LD, Erbas B, Perret JL, Jalaludin B, et al. Traffic-related air pollution and the development and persistence of asthma and low lung function. Environment International. 2018;113:170–176.
    Approx. 110 citations.


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