معرفی
Dr. Champa Wijekoon is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Manitoba and Principal Investigator at the Bioactives Laboratory, Canadian Centre for Agri-food Research in Health and Medicine, based at the St. Boniface Hospital Research Albrechtsen Research Centre. Her research integrates plant science, molecular biology, and food science to enhance the value of Canadian-grown crops such as berries, barley, soybeans, and forage legumes.
Her research interests lie in the bioactive profiling of phytochemicals, including polyphenols, phytosterols, terpenes, and fatty acids, with a focus on understanding how genetic and environmental factors influence these compounds. She employs advanced techniques in metabolomics, genomics, molecular biology, microbiology, and analytical chemistry. Her work aims to improve crop traits for functional food applications and address challenges in food safety, plant health, and disease resistance.
Dr. Wijekoon’s laboratory has developed an innovative metabolomics platform and has conducted significant research on the endophyte microbiome of barley, particularly in relation to biocontrol against Fusarium head blight. She is also involved in identifying metabolic biomarkers for plant breeding and valorization of agricultural waste.
She collaborates with scientists across disciplines, including breeders, agronomists, pathologists, food chemists, and nutritionists, and works with national and international institutions and industry partners. Her research supports the development of new opportunities for Canadian agriculture in the global marketplace, particularly in health-promoting crops.
Dr. Wijekoon received her PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Calgary. She specializes in metabolomics and genomics and has expertise in applied molecular plant pathology, gene silencing, and crop improvement. She leads projects on urban farming crop bioactivity, soybean quality under root rot, barley disease resilience, and lipid enhancement in forage legumes.
