Dhammika Bandara

H. M. Dhammika Bandara Bachelor's Institution: University of Peradeniya Bachelor's Year: 2004 Ph.D. Institution: UConn Ph.D. Year: 2011 Postdoc Institution: WPI Postdoc Years: 2011–2014 Postdoc Institution: UMass Postdoc Years: 2014-2016 Current Employer: Cambridge Isotope Labs

Dhammika Bandara is a former student in the Burdette group, and the 1st person to earn a Ph.D. under the the supervision of Prof. Shawn Burdette. He graduated with a chemistry degree from University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (2004, and received his Ph.D. in 2011 from University of Connecticut for investigating azobenzene photochemsitry and Cleav complexes. In 2011, he joined the group of Prof. Marion Emmert at the WPI as a postdoctoral researcher. His research project at WPI involves the conversion of CO₂ into useful chemical products.

Publications

7. H. M. Dhammika Bandara, Prem N. Basa, Jingjing Yan, Casey E. Camire, John C. MacDonald, Randy K. Jackson and Shawn C. Burdette. Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2013, 4794–4803. Systematic Modulation of Hydrogen Bond Donors in Aminoazobenzene Derivatives Provides Further Evidence for the Concerted Inversion Photoisomerization Pathway.

6. Hannah W. Mbatia, H. M. Dhammika Bandara and Shawn C. Burdette. Chem. Commun. 2012, 48, 5331–5333. CuproCleav-1, a first generation photocage for Cu⁺.

5. H. M. Dhammika Bandara and Shawn C. Burdette. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2012, 41, 1809-1825. Photoisomerization in different classes of azobenzene. Featured art on the back cover.

Back Cover art of Chem. Soc. Rev. 2012, 41, 1809-1825

4. H. M. Dhammika Bandara, Shannon Cawley, José A. Gascón, Shawn C. Burdette. Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2011, 2916–2919. Short-Circuiting Azobenzene Photoisomerization with Electron-Donating Substituents and Reactivating the Photochemistry with Chemical Modification.

3. H. M. Dhammika Bandara, Timothy P. Walsh and Shawn C. Burdette. Chem. Eur. J. 2011, 17, 3932–3941. A Second Generation Photocage for Zn²⁺ Inspired by TPEN: Characterization and Insight into the Quantum Yield of Uncaging.

2. H. M. Dhammika Bandara, Tracey R. Friss, Miriam M. Enriquez, William Isley, Christopher D. Incarvito, Harry A. Frank, Jose Gascon and Shawn C. Burdette. J. Org. Chem. 2010, 75, 4817–4827. Proof for the Concerted Inversion Mechanism in the trans→cis Isomerization of Azobenzene Using Hydrogen Bonding To Induce Isomer Locking.

1. H. M. Dhammika Bandara, Daniel P. Kennedy, Elf Akin, Christopher D. Incarvito and Shawn C. Burdette. Inorg. Chem. 2009, 48, 8445–8455. Photoinduced Release of Zn²⁺ with ZinCleav-1: a Nitrobenzyl-Based Caged Complex.