After studying at the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka, I entered the doctoral program at Saitama University in 2002 under the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship program. Since October 2005, I have been receiving support as a Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and am continuing my research at Saitama University. My field of specialty is engineering science. I will be returning to Sri Lanka in October, and I plan to continue my research at the University of Ruhuna as a senior lecturer after my return.

I am very satisfied with my current research activities as a Fellow. I am being enlightened as a researcher through my ties with talented professors and others, and I am able to continue productive research under a favorable environment. The financial support currently being provided to me by JSPS allows me to lead an even better life with more leisure than when I was a Japanese Government scholarship student, and this certainly helps.

If you want to continue research in Japan, I hope that you keep in close contact with the professors who guided you while in Japan. Furthermore, I hope that you will participate even more proactively in international conferences and academic meetings and create opportunities for you to come in touch with many researchers.

Maintaining ties with your academic supervisor in Japan is very important, not just in terms of having a host researcher for the application under the JSPS Fellowship but also in order to further your future research. They will help you develop the future of your research. Furthermore, researchers who have undergone the JSPS Fellowship program should be able to provide you with useful advice for making applications under the program. Having access to a wide variety of such information is a good reason for your participation in the alumni associations of your country.