Ravi Silva
Nationality:
Sri Lankan
Education:
Secondary education, D. S. Senanayake College, Colombo, Sri Lanka
BA (Hons) and MA degrees in Electrical and Information Sciences Tripos (EIST), Clare College, Cambridge University, UK
Ph.D. in Solid State Electronics, Cambridge University, UK
Current Status:
Professor of Solid State Electronics, University of Surrey, UK
Web link:
http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/LAE/
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Awardee of the UNESCO 2003 Javed Husain Prize for Young Scientists
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Colleagues, Friends and "Revolutionists",
It is an honour and privilege to be able to address WAYS in this manner and share with you my thoughts for our future. We live in the 21st century which has been designated the Nanotechnology Revolution. The Nanotech Revolution is going to be all pervasive, and all encompassing and likely to surpass the impact upon societal behaviour seen in the 17th century Industrial Revolution and the 20th century Electronic Revolution, by a significant margin. Yet, revolutions mean radical alternatives to everyday life and technologies. Handheld communicators, devised as science fiction several decades ago are now a modern accessory of the common public. Quantum teleportation of information has just been demonstrated opening the doors for many futuristic concepts. Within our laboratory we are working on carbon nanotube quantum wires, which promise to give unparalleled processing speeds for electronic devices. The unpredictability of revolutions, especially technological, requires minds unhindered by current rules and conventions, ready to embrace radical new theories and philosophies. This is where we, WAYS, the implementers of the Nanotechnology Revolution come in. We, the younger generation are the custodians of the future, and as such, must be honest, caring, ethical and passionate about what we provide for future generations to come in terms of science and technology.
I have been lucky enough to head a group of 30 very talented young scientists at the University of Surrey in the UK. Our aim is to work on projects which make an impact on science and technology on a quantum scale (rather than incremental) so that we in some ways repay the faith society has placed on us by giving us a privileged position to combine our hobby and passion with work.
Being able to aim high, such as a sprayable solar cell material which could help solve the dire need for cheap renewable solar photovoltaic energy sources, to possible new high efficiency - high brightness light sources that can replace the 100 year old incandescent light bulb technology which has changed little since Edison's first bulb, are part and parcel of what we do in our laboratory.
To do all this work you need the infra-structure and support of institutions, research councils, governments and international bodies such as UNESCO. All these activities now need to be mastered by you and me if we want to be excellent scientists who intend on making a difference. I have had many first class teachers and mentors who have helped me throughout my career. I am sure all of you have and will continue to be able to call upon senior colleagues for help and advice. This is what makes an academic career so rewarding in having a very big family to call upon when support is needed and seeing the fruits of one’s labour in not only physical entities within the laboratory but also in your own students’ personal development and careers. I wish you all great success in chasing your dreams, and being part of the vanguard that makes your own future!
Ravi Silva
Sri Lanka
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