1. Ph.D. in Chemistry – Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS - Anticipated December 2015

2. B.Sc. Special Degree in Chemistry – University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka 2010

Selected Awards

• Kansas State University Alumni Association Scholarship award - June 2015

• The Mitsugi Ohno Chemistry Award (Given to a chemistry graduate student in recognition of outstanding achievements in research, academics and teaching) - May 2015

• Kansas State University International Coordination Council Scholarship Award - April 2014

• Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society Award of Recognition for the KSU research forum interdisciplinary science award winner - April 2014

• First place in graduate interdisciplinary research oral presentations - Kansas State University Research Forum - March 2014

Research Summary

• Energetic co-crystals - Co-crystal synthesis and screening for the application in the field of energetic materials; Application of co-crystallization to enhance the properties and stability of known energetic compounds and to design Agent Defeat Weapons (ADWs).

• Co-crystals of nitro compounds - Iso-star analysis for the recognition properties of nitro functional group; Design and synthesis of chelating halogen and hydrogen bond donors to assemble co-crystals targeting nitro functional group.

• Stabilizing chemicals - Applications of co-crystal technology for stabilizing high-value targets and volatile chemicals.

• Supramolecular self-healing polymers - Design and synthesis of halogen-bond based self-healing supramolecular polymers.

• Halogen bond donors - Synthesis of haloethynylnitrobenzene compounds and haloethynylbenzene compounds, characterization and application in the field of halogen bond based co-crystallizations; Design and synthesis of halogen bond donors with chelating capability and application in co-crystallizations and as templates for photochemical cycloadditions.

• Halogen bond and hydrogen bond preferences in crystal engineering - Design and synthesis of molecules including multitude of acceptor sites in order to monitor the molecular electrostatic potential based interaction preferences of halogen bonding and hydrogen bonding. Study on the competitive nature of halogen bond and hydrogen bond.

Publications

1. Aakeröy, C.B.; Wijethunga, T.K.; Desper, J.; Đakovic, M. “Crystal engineering with iodoethynylnitrobenzenes: A group of highly effective halogen-bond donors”, Cryst.Growth Des., Article ASAP, DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.5b00478.
2. Aakeröy, C.B.; Wijethunga, T.K.; Desper, J. “Crystal engineering of energetic materials: Co-crystals of ethylenedinitramine (EDNA) with modified performance and improved chemical stability”, Chem. Eur. J. 2015 , 21, 11029 – 11037. Accepted Manuscript, (Featured on the cover).
3. Aakeröy, C.B.; Wijethunga, T.K.; Desper, J.; Moore, C. “Halogen-bond preferences in co-crystal synthesis”, J. Chem. Crystallogr. 2015, 45, 267-276.
4. Aakeröy, C.B.; Wijethunga, T.K.; Desper, J. “Molecular electrostatic potential dependent selectivity of hydrogen bonding”, New J. Chem. 2015, 39, 822 – 828 (Featured on the cover).
5. Aakeröy, C.B.; Wijethunga, T.K.; Benton, J.; Desper, J. “Stabilizing volatile liquid chemicals using co-crystallization”, Chem. Commun. 2015, 51, 2425-2428.
6. Aakeröy, C.B.; Wijethunga, T.K.; Desper, J. “Practical crystal engineering using halogen bonding: A hierarchy based on calculated molecular electrostatic potential surfaces”, J. Mol. Struct. 2014, 1072, 20-27.
7. Aakeröy, C.B.; Wijethunga, T.K.; Haj, M.A.; Desper, J.; Moore, C. “The structural landscape of heteroaryl-2-imidazoles: competing halogen-and hydrogen-bond interactions”, CrystEngComm 2014, 16, 7218-7225.
8. Aakeröy, C.B.; Wijethunga, T.K.; Desper, J. “Constructing molecular polygons using halogen bonding and bifurcated N-oxides”, CrystEngComm 2014, 16, 28-31.

Google scholar citations

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XeCDt0IAAAAJ&hl=en