Siva Sivananthan
Professor Sivalingam Sivananthan (Tamil: சிவலிங்கம் சிவானந்தன்) is an American academic, scientist, businessman and Director of the Microphysics Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Professor Siva Sivananthan | |
---|---|
சிவா சிவானந்தன் | |
Alma mater | Saraswathi Maha Vidyalayam Drieberg College Jaffna Hindu College University of Peradeniya University of Illinois at Chicago |
Occupation | Academic |
Early life and family
Sivananthan was born in Madduvil South near Chavakachcheri in northern Ceylon.[1] His father was a Tamil scholar from Valvettithurai and his mother was teacher of religion and science.[1] He was educated at Saraswathi Maha Vidyalayam, Drieberg College and Jaffna Hindu College (1968–75).[1][2][3] After school he joined the University of Peradeniya's Science Faculty in 1976, graduating in 1980 with a BS degree in physics.[1][3][4]
Career
After graduating Sivananthan lectured at Eastern University, Sri Lanka before joining the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1982 for post-graduate study.[1] He obtained MSc (1985) and PhD (1988) degrees from the university.[3][4] He is currently a Distinguished Professor and Director of the Microphysics Laboratory at the university's Department of Physics.[4]
Sivananthan entered business in 1998 when he founded EPIR Technologies Inc.[5] Sivananthan is also founder and CEO of Sivananthan Laboratories Inc. based in Bolingbrook, Illinois.[1][2][3]
In May 2013 Sivananthan was awarded the "Champion of Change" (Immigrant Entrepreneurs and Innovators category) by the White House.[1][2] He was awarded the Vidya Nidhi title in the 2017 Sri Lankan national honours.[6][7] In 2010 he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society for "seminal contributions to the growth technology of II-VI photovoltaic materials.".[8]
References
- "White House honoree pays tribute to his hometown in Jaffna". TamilNet. 2 June 2013.
- "Makes his mark in the US". Ceylon Today. 31 May 2013.
- "Dr.Sivalingam Sivananthan honored as a White House Champion of Change". Jaffna Hindu College.
- "Sivalingam Sivananthan". University of Illinois at Chicago. Archived from the original on 26 November 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
- Rathee, Aabha (10 March 2011). "After brush with war, scientist joins renewable energy battle". Northwestern University. Archived from the original on 17 August 2014.
- "PART I : SECTION (I) – GENERAL Government Notifications NATIONAL HONOURS" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 2010/38. 17 March 2017.
- "National Honours after 12 years". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 19 March 2017.
- "APS Fellow Archive". American Physical Society. (search on year=2010 and institution=University of Illinois, Chicago)