In remembrance of our Fellows

Felix Prashantha Amerasinghe, Ph.D. (1948-2005)

After a protracted illness Dr. Amerasinghe died in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 7 June 2005. He was 57 years old. Felix was a medical entomologist with world renowned expertise in the fields of taxonomy and ecology of disease carrying insects. He obtained his B.Sc. in Zoology with first class honors in 1971 from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. He received a commonwealth scholarship for postgraduate studies in the UK and received his PhD from the University of Bristol in 1977.

The majority of Dr. Amerasinghe's career as a scientist and educator was spent at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, where he started as an assistant lecturer (1971) and rose to the rank of Professor (1996) and Department Head (1998) at the department of zoology. Felix was dedicated to field work and has, along with his wife and co-researcher, Priyanie H. Amerasinghe (PhD), made Sri Lanka famous for long-term extensive studies on the impact of irrigation development on mosquito populations and malaria transmission. His collaborative studies with local and foreign colleagues also improved the understanding of the transmission dynamics of Japanese encephalitis in Sri Lanka. Another one of Felix’s major contributions was the development of keys for the identification of mosquitoes of importance for the South Asian region. Without this contribution many research projects or disease surveillance systems would not have been possible and these keys will continue to be of tremendous benefit in the years to come.

Felix stood out as a shining example of how in a resource poor country a scientist could be productive and rise to both local and international prominence. Over the course of his career he published 84 papers and most of these were in international peer reviewed journals. He was also very active in Sri Lankan scientific circles and advisory groups and was elected to the Sri Lankan National Academy of Sciences in 1999. An endless number of students have benefited from Felix's university lectures, presentations at Sri Lankan national scientific meetings and at international conventions. Felix was a brilliant, inspiring and entertaining speaker. His talent as a teacher and his contribution to national scientific organizations have clearly helped the strengthening of Sri Lanka's research capacity and its international standing. Although the majority of his career was devoted to working in Sri Lanka, from 1990-1992 he and Priyanie did a sabbatical in the USA where he was a visiting Associate Professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of Maryland at College Park, USA. At Maryland he made important contributions to the mapping of Lyme disease risk by using novel approaches to monitor tick populations.

In 2001 Felix left the University of Sri Lanka and joined the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Colombo as the research leader of the group working on Water, Environment and Health. This move was partly influence by his increasing interest and contributions to the wider discussion of disease control strategies and the linkages between biodiversity conservation and disease ecology. Felix became involved in pilot studies to control malaria, multidisciplinary studies to assess the socio-economic impacts of malaria, and basic studies on malaria parasitology and molecular biology. Also, as an IWMI Researcher, Felix supervised the implementation of several projects on issues as diverse as health impacts of wastewater use in agriculture, malaria disease control, integrated pest management and biodiversity studies in Asia and Africa.

Initially from his base at the University of Peradeniya as a Lecturer and Professor of Applied Zoology and later at IWMI, Felix developed an extensive international network and contributed to international efforts in the development of disease control strategies, including as a member of the WHO/UNEP/FAO Panel of Experts on Environmental Management for Vector Control and WHO/UNEP-commissioned project on Biodiversity and Human Health.

Felix's contributions to research are truly impressive and so was his personality. Felix (or "Shantha" as he was known to his Sri Lankan friends and family) loved music and had a beautiful singing voice. In addition to his extensive knowledge of insects, he also knew a lot about others animals, especially species native to Sri Lanka. One learned much from him during field trips. He also took a keen interest in the personal well being of his students and field staff, many of whom came from rural and poor backgrounds. He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him. He is survived by his wife (Priyanie), son (Chaminda) and daughter (Niranjali).

Flemming Konradsen (University of Copenhagen, Denmark), Aravinda de Silva (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA) and Wim van der Hoek (International Water Management Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka)