**Meet the editor**

Having obtained a B.Sc Chemistry Special (hons) degree from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Desiree Nedra Karunaratne pursued a Ph.D in Bacterial polysaccharides under the tutelage of Prof. G.G.S. Dutton at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada. Later, she researched on bacterial LPS and design of antimicrobial cationic peptides with Prof. R.E.W.

Hancock (Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology, UBC). Presently, she is a professor at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, where she conducts research in the area of carbohydrate liquid crystals, and use of carbohydrate nanoparticles and liposomes for delivery of bioactive compounds. She has 22 publications in peer reviewed journals, 6 US patents and 3 US provisional patents to her credit. She has authored 8 books/chapters.
