Dr Buddhi Wijesiri
Faculty of Engineering,
Office of the Executive Dean, Engineering
Biography
I am dedicated to ensuring that growing populations have access to sufficient and safe water. My research focuses on safeguarding water resources by addressing water pollution. Through my work, I develop knowledge and mathematical tools to understand the terrestrial processes that degrade water resources, crucial for creating effective pollution control measures.
I have expertise and experience in physically-based and statistical modeling techniques across various computing platforms. I combine local field data with information from global databases to unravel the mechanisms behind hydrological and pollution processes. I have been at the forefront of applying Bayesian Networks (BNs) in stormwater quality modeling. This pioneering work has since expanded to tackle broader water quality issues, including surface and groundwater pollution, water consumption, and health risks.
My long-term research aims to explore how environmental changes and urbanisation impact the degradation of water resources.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Personal details
Positions
- Research Associate
Faculty of Engineering,
Office of the Executive Dean, Engineering
Keywords
Water Quality, Stormwater, Environmental Modelling
Research field
Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- PhD (Water and Environmental Engineering) (Queensland University of Technology)
- BSc (Hons1) (Mining and Minerals Engineering) (University of Moratuwa)
Professional memberships and associations
- Associate Editor - Frontiers in Environmental Science (Section: Water and Wastewater Management)
- Member International Water Association (IWA)
- Member Australian Water Association (AWA)
- Member Institute of Engineers Australia
Teaching
- ENN596 Industry Project
- EGH471 Advanced Water Engineering
- EGH400-1/EGH400-2 Research Project
Publications
Research outputs by year
- Wijesiri, B., Liu, A. & Goonetilleke, A. (2020). Impact of global warming on urban stormwater quality: From the perspective of an alternative water resource. Journal of Cleaner Production, 262, 1–12. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/199956
- Mahappu Kankanamalage, B., Liu, A., He, B., Yang, B., Zhao, X., Ayoko, G. & Goonetilleke, A. (2019). Behaviour of metals in an urban river and the pollution of estuarine environment. Water Research, 164, 1–11. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/131793
- Mahappu Kankanamalage, B., Egodawatta, P., McGree, J. & Goonetilleke, A. (2016). Assessing uncertainty in stormwater quality modelling. Water Research, 103, 10–20. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/101975
- Mahappu Kankanamalage, B., Deilami, K., McGree, J. & Goonetilleke, A. (2018). Use of surrogate indicators for the evaluation of potential health risks due to poor urban water quality: A Bayesian Network approach. Environmental Pollution, 233, 655–661. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/223300
- Mahappu Kankanamalage, B., Deilami, K. & Goonetilleke, A. (2018). Evaluating the relationship between temporal changes in land use and resulting water quality. Environmental Pollution, 234, 480–486. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/115313
- Wijesiri, B., Liu, A., Jayarathne, A., Duodu, G., Ayoko, G., Chen, L. & Goonetilleke, A. (2021). Influence of the hierarchical structure of land use on metals, nutrients and organochlorine pesticides in urban river sediments. Ecological Engineering, 159. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/207082
- He, B., Mahappu Kankanamalage, B., Ayoko, G., Egodawatta, P., Rintoul, L. & Goonetilleke, A. (2020). Influential factors on microplastics occurrence in river sediments. Science of the Total Environment, 738. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/202151
- Bonotto, D., Mahappu Kankanamalage, B. & Goonetilleke, A. (2019). Nitrate-dependent uranium mobilisation in groundwater. Science of the Total Environment, 693, 1–10. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/131837
- Booysen, M., Mahappu Kankanamalage, B., Ripunda, C. & Goonetilleke, A. (2019). Fees and governance: Towards sustainability in water resources management at schools in post-apartheid South Africa. Sustainable Cities and Society, 51, 1–8. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/131597
- Wijesiri, B. & Hettiarachchi, A. (2021). How gender disparities in urban and rural areas influence access to safe drinking water. Utilities Policy, 68. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/206920
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Buddhi, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Funding Award
- Reference year
- 2020
- Details
- Generation characteristics and human health risk prediction of high-risk pollutants in urban road stormwater runoff, Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation, China - 2019A1515110353, Lead CI, 2020 - 2022, RMB100,000 ($21,652)
- Type
- Fellowships
- Reference year
- 2018
- Details
- Investigation of the water pollution implications on urban liveability in China and Australia, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Government and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation - 2018M643194, Lead CI, 2018 - 2020, RMB813,811 ($176,206)
- Type
- Funding Award
- Reference year
- 2019
- Details
- Simulation of pollutant build-up loads and stormwater quality fluctuations on urban road surfaces, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) - 21806110), Investigator (unnamed), 2019 - 2021, RMB 200,000 ($43,305)
- Type
- Funding Award
- Reference year
- 2019
- Details
- Comprehensive water quality improvement and ecological remediation of Liang River, Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province, China - 2019B110205003, Investigator (unnamed), 2019 - 2022, RMB500,000 ($108,262)
- Type
- Funding Award
- Reference year
- 2019
- Details
- Toxicity variations and its control of urban road stormwater treatment/storage processes based on stormwater reuse safety, Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province, China - 2019A1515010843, Investigator (unnamed), 2019 - 2022, RMB100,000 ($21,652)
- Type
- Funding Award
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Physical and chemical properties of urban road deposited sediments influenced by traffic characteristics and total petroleum hydrocarbons adsorption mechanism, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) - 41601510, Investigator (unnamed), 2017 - 2019, RMB190,000 ($41,140)
- Type
- Funding Award
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Development of a comprehensive research agenda to overcome challenges in urban water management in Brazil and Australia, São Paulo State Research Foundation (FAPESP), Brazil and Australian Technology Network (ATN) - 16/50327-4, Investigator (unnamed), 2017 - 2019, $20,000
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Outstanding doctoral thesis award
- Type
- Funding Award
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Spatial and temporal distribution of toxic stormwater pollutants on typical urban impervious surfaces for stormwater reuse, Shenzhen Government, China - 827-000102, Investigator (unnamed), 2016 - 2018, RMB4,500,000 ($974,359)
- Type
- Funding Award
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Development of models for predicting total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) build-up, Shenzhen University, China - 2016007, Investigator (unnamed), 2016 - 2018, RMB60,000 ($12,991)
Supervision
Looking for a postgraduate research supervisor?
I am currently accepting research students for Honours, Masters and PhD study.
You can browse existing student topics offered by QUT or propose your own topic.
Current supervisions
- PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Prasanna Egodawatta, Professor Ana Deletic, Professor David McCarthy - PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Ana Deletic, Professor David McCarthy