Decade-long journey completed as one of the first graduates of Kingston University and ESOFT University partnership finishes PhD

A student who originally joined through Kingston University’s burgeoning partnership with Sri Lanka’s ESOFT Metro Campus University has completed his studies after graduating with a PhD, marking the end of a 10-year student journey at Kingston University.

Dr Dinith Ranaweera received his doctorate at Kingston University’s summer graduation ceremonies, concluding a decade of study at the institution. His learning journey also took in a BSc (Hons) Top Up in Civil Engineering and a Masters in Structural Design and Construction Management with Sustainability before completing a PhD with the title Mechanical behaviour of adhesively bounded Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) and glass composites for high-performance façade applications.

The 30-year-old, from Sri Lanka, began his studies as one of the first students to be part of Kingston University’s civil engineering top up programme, taught at ESOFT in Sri Lanka. The partnership between the two institutions launched in 2012 which has seen around 3,000 students graduate from computing and engineering courses at ESOFT branch campuses.

“The ESOFT lecturers were great and fostered a fantastic community,” Dinith said. “I had lots of tremendous support from Kingston during my studies which helped me when I moved to the UK to transition into my Masters.”

Upon completing his top-up bachelors, Dinith moved to Kingston upon Thames and enrolled onto the masters programme at the University. He passed with flying colours. “I’m the first in my family to do a PhD so I wanted to make them proud. Kingston has been a wonderful place to live – everyone is so friendly and it’s a relaxing environment with great routes to walk around the parks and by the River Thames,” he said.

Having previously worked as a structural façade engineer in Sri Lanka, Dinith started his four-year PhD programme focusing on GFRP and glass composite façades (the outer structures of buildings) with the aim of creating a high strength sustainable façade system that could be adopted worldwide.

His PhD studies were briefly interrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic meaning he had to take a pause but returned to complete his doctorate. “The disruption makes the feeling of completing my PhD even greater – I couldn’t be happier,” Dinith said. “If it wasn’t for the partnership between Kingston University and ESOFT, I wouldn’t be where I am today – I’m so excited for what my future holds.”

Kingston University’s partnership with ESOFT has flourished since its inception with thousands of graduating students going on to make significant contributions to industry, innovation and society in Sri Lanka, neighbouring countries and further afield.

Building on this educational collaboration, Kingston and ESOFT have recently unveiled the Kingston University Learning Hub at ESOFT’s Colombo and Kandy campuses, designed to support holistic student success. The two institutions have also jointly launched a Transnational Doctoral Programme this year, with three doctoral researchers embarking on cutting-edge projects in the fields of computing and engineering.

Director of Strategic Partnering and Development at Kingston University Professor Mukesh Limbachiya, who led the establishment of the partnership and has overseen its development, said the collaboration aligned with the University’s ambitious Town House Strategy. “At the heart of the collaboration lies a shared commitment to delivering our transformative higher education model, Future Skills, to ensure graduates are equipped and empowered to succeed in their careers and make meaningful contributions to society,” he said.

Founder of the ESOFT Group and Chairman and Managing Director of ESOFT Metro Campus, Dr Dayan Rajapakse said Dinith’s PhD was a proud milestone for the partnership. “Dinith’s doctoral research focuses on an area of increasing importance in sustainable and resilient building design,” he said. “His achievement showcases the high calibre of students our institution nurtures through its transnational education partnerships, demonstrating the growing impact of our collaboration and delivery of inclusive, high-quality education in engineering, computing and beyond.”

• Find out more about studying civil engineering at Kingston University.
• Find out more about Kingston University’s partnerships.