Dinusha Herath Mudiyanselage

Dinusha Herath Mudiyanselage came to the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University to pursue his doctoral degree because he views the institution as a world-class university, offering state-of-the-art facilities to conduct advanced research in electrical engineering.

“Electrical engineering and physics have always fascinated me, and I have always aspired to conduct cutting-edge research in electronics to help build a better world,” he says.

After earning his master’s degree in microelectronics and photonics from Iowa State University, Dinusha Herath Mudiyanselage knew he was on the right career trajectory.

For his research, Dinusha Herath Mudiyanselage focused on developing high-voltage power electronic devices using the ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor aluminum nitride, or AIN. AIN is an emerging ultrawide bandgap semiconductor with exceptional properties that enable the development of smaller, more efficient semiconductor devices.

Dinusha Herath Mudiyanselage has earned multiple recognitions, including the ASU Graduate Student Government Outstanding Research Award, the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering Research Award and the Japanese Society of Young Scientists Award. For his exceptional efforts, he is also being recognized with the Palais Outstanding Doctoral Student Award, an honor given to a single electrical engineering doctoral student each year who exemplifies academic and research achievement.

“I am deeply grateful to Professor Palais and his wife, Sandra Palais, for establishing the Palais Outstanding Doctoral Award,” he says. “Furthermore, I am honored to receive this award for my work on ultrawide bandgap semiconductors.”

The award was first established in 2003 by Professor Emeritus Joseph Palais, the former electrical engineering graduate program chair, and his wife, Sandra.

Dinusha Herath Mudiyanselage credits his research and future career opportunities to Houqiang Fu, a Fulton Schools assistant professor who welcomed him to work on semiconductor research in his lab. Additionally, he is extremely grateful to the Ultra Materials for a Resilient, Smart Electricity Grid, or Ultra EFRC, and its director, Regents Professor Robert Nemanich, for including his research group in the center, offering continuous funding support and fostering an outstanding collaborative research environment.

“Dinusha’s work on ultrawide bandgap semiconductors has tremendously advanced the development of this promising new material for next-generation high-efficiency power electronics,” Fu says. “He has demonstrated truly exceptional achievements in research with dozens of journal publications and several patents while maintaining outstanding academic standing. His work has generated significant impacts in this field and will contribute greatly to the maturity and commercialization of this new power technology.”

After graduation, Dinusha Herath Mudiyanselage will remain at the Fulton Schools as a postdoctoral associate working under Houqiang Fu with the long-term aspiration of serving as an electrical engineering faculty member.

Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ spring 2025 class here.