Department of Physics

Dr. Rachitha Mendis

Senior Lecturer

B.Sc. (KLN), Ph.D. (Kansas, USA)

About Me

I graduated from University of Kelaniya in 2012 with honors degree in Physics. In 2013, I joined the Department of Physics, University of Peradeniya as a Probationary Lecturer. In 2014 I went abroad for my PhD. I obtained my PhD from Kansas State University in 2019 and my PhD research project is “Search for vector-like T quarks using events with oppositely-charged lepton pairs and jets in proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with CMS detector”. Currently I’m working as a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Physics, University of Peradeniya.

Contact Details

Positions Held

Visiting Lecturer, South Eastern University of Sri Lanka- (Jan 2019 - Present)

Member - Career Enhancement and Guidance Committee (CEGC)- (2020 - Present)

Volunteer student counsellor- (2020 - Present)

Department Coordinator - Science Education Unit (SEU)- (2019 - Present)

Senior Lecturer Gr II, Department of Physics, University of Peradeniya- (May 2019 - Present)

Lecturer (Probationary), Department of Physics, University of Peradeniya- (March 2013 - May 2019)

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Physics, Kansas State University- (2014-2015)

Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Phsics, Kansas State University- (2015-2019)

Ongoing Research and Projects

Construction of an Ionization chamber to detect Alpha and Beta Particles

Construction of Galvanic cell using Biodegradable Materials

Awards, Scholarships, Memberships & Fellowships

Pheno Travel Award, 2018

Physical Science awards for Physics – 2012, SLAAS

Gold medal for academic excellence in Physics special degree, 2012

My Teachings

PH365: Modern Particle Physics

PH383: Advnced Physcis Laboratory I

PH423: Electromagnetic Theory

PH433: Nuclear and Reactor Physcis

My Publications

2019 1

Regular Article - Experimental Physics Eur. Phys. J. C

CMS Collaboration (2019). Search for vector-like quarks in events with two oppositely charged leptons and jets in proton–proton collisions at√s=13 TeV
. Regular Article - Experimental Physics Eur. Phys. J. C, 79: 364.

DOI: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1140/epjc/s10052-019-6855-8.pdf

Conferences

APS April Meeting 2019
Search for vector-like quarks in events with two oppositely charged leptons and jets in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV

Denver, Colorado, USA - (April 13-16, 2019)

2017 Meeting of the APS Division of Particles and Fields (DPF 2017)
Search for vector-like quarks with oppositely-charged dilepton pairs, jets, and missing transverse energy in proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV

Fermilab, Batavia, IL, USA - (Jul 31 - Aug 4)

Phenomenology 2018 Symposium (Pheno 2018)
Searches for vector-like quarks at CMS

University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA - (May 7-9, 2018)

2017 US LHC User Association Meeting
Search for vector-like T quarks with oppositely-charged dilepton pairs and jets in proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV

Fermilab, Batavia, IL, USA - (Nov 1 -3, 2017)

Research Interests (Research Fields/ Projects)

High Energy Physics - Specially related to vector-like-quarks (VLQ's) and beyond standard model (BSM)

Higher Education Qualifications

PhD
Kansas State University - USA (2019)

BSc
University of Kelaniya (2012)

Key Publications

Regular Article - Experimental Physics Eur. Phys. J. C - (2019)

Search for vector-like quarks in events with two oppositely charged leptons and jets in proton–proton collisions at√s=13 TeV