STAFF PROFILE
Dr. Akvan Gajanayake
Position:
Lecturer, Project Management (ECDF)
College / Portfolio:
Design and Social Context
School / Department:
DSC|School of PCPM
Email:
akvan.gajanayake@rmit.edu.au
Campus:
City Campus
Contact me about:
Research supervision
Akvan is a trans-disciplinary researcher in the areas of sustainability and circular economy. He has a good theoretical and practical knowledge on broad environmental sustainability issues having worked in the not-for-profit and corporate sectors before joining academia. Akvan holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of London, where he obtained the top marks for the BSc Management degree for that year. He also holds a Masters in Economics and a PhD in Sustainable Engineering.
Before joining academia Akvan worked in the not-for-profit sector working in a partnership with the American Red Cross, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Environmental Foundation in setting up integrated waste management systems in disaster affected communities. He also has experience in the manufacturing sector, where he managed waste management and resource recovery strategy for an apparel manufacturer.
Akvan has over a decade of teaching experience in the Management, Economics and Environmental Sustainability disciplines. He has taught at the undergraduate level in multiple Universities across Australia and overseas.
Before joining academia Akvan worked in the not-for-profit sector working in a partnership with the American Red Cross, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Environmental Foundation in setting up integrated waste management systems in disaster affected communities. He also has experience in the manufacturing sector, where he managed waste management and resource recovery strategy for an apparel manufacturer.
Akvan has over a decade of teaching experience in the Management, Economics and Environmental Sustainability disciplines. He has taught at the undergraduate level in multiple Universities across Australia and overseas.
Research projects
- Ecosystem mapping of the Circular Economy landscape in Victoria for a project funded by Sustainability Victoria
- Techno-economic analysis of alternatives to Expanded Polystyrene Waffle Pods for residential construction projects for City of Casey
- Integrating circular principles in an urban educational precinct development project at RMIT
- Understanding the resilience of lifelines for regional and rural communities in Australia
- Financing Infrastructure for Climate Change Adaptation in Developing East Asia Project of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN
- Estimating socio-economic impacts of State funded building maintenance programs under a project sponsored by the Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works
- Co-lead of the Policy and Governance workstream of the Circular Economy Researchers Network of Asia-Pacific
- PhD Sustainable Engineering - RMIT University
- Masters in Economics - University of Colombo
- BSc Management (First Class Honours) - University of London
- VicRoads (2017 - 2018)
Structural Technology and Assets Team - City of Port Phillip (2020 - 2021)
Project Officer, Waste Futures - MAS Holdings Pty Ltd (2010 - 2015)
Assistant Manager, Environmental Sustainability - Environmental Foundation Ltd (2005 - 2010)
Research Officer
- Ho, O.,Gajanayake, A.,Iyer-Raniga, U. (2023). Transitioning to a state-wide circular economy: Major stakeholder interviews In: Resources, Conservation & Recycling Advances, 19, 1 - 14
- Gajanayake, A.,Ho, O.,Iyer-Raniga, U. (2023). Motivations and drivers for adopting sustainability and circular business strategies in businesses in Victoria In: Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, , 1 - 11
- Gajanayake, A.,Wijeratne Mudiyanselage, P. (2023). Liquid waste management in the construction sector: a systematic literature review In: International Journal of Construction Management, , 1 - 11
- Iyer-Raniga, U.,Gajanayake, A.,Ho, O.,Trewick, S. (2022). Mapping the Circular Economy Ecosystem of Victoria In: Victorian Circular Activator (VCA) and RMIT University Melbourne, Australia
- Karunsena, G.,Gajanayake, A.,Udawatta, N. (2022). Wastewater management in the construction sector: a systemic analysis of current practice in Victoria, Australia In: International Journal of Construction Management, , 1 - 11
- Gajanayake, A.,Iyer-Raniga, U. (2022). Infrastructure Financing for Climate Change Adaptation in Australia: Practitioners’ Perspectives In: Construction Economics and Building, 22, 1 - 16
- Teo, P.,Gajanayake, A.,Jayasuriya, S.,Izaddoost, A.,Perera, T.,Naderpajouh, N.,Wong, P. (2021). Application of a bottom-up approach to estimate economic impacts of building maintenance projects: cladding rectification program in Australia In: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 29, 333 - 353
- Gajanayake, A.,Khan, T.,Zhang, G. (2021). A decision-making tool to assess external costs of disaster induced bridge failure In: International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 64, 1 - 10
- Saberian Boroujeni, M.,Zhang, J.,Gajanayake, A.,Li, J.,Zhang, K.,Saberian Boroujeni, M. (2021). Life cycle assessment (LCA) of concrete containing waste materials: comparative studies In: Handbook of Sustainable Concrete and Industrial Waste Management, Elsevier, Naples, Italy
- Gajanayake, A.,Khan, T.,Zhang, G. (2020). Post-Disaster Reconstruction of Road Infrastructure: Decision making processes in an australian context In: European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research, 20, 1 - 16
1 Masters by Research Current Supervisions