• Visiting Research Fellow, The Texas A&M Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology at Texas A&M University (2018-2020)
• PhD in Molecular Genetics, University of Maine, 2011
• BSc (Agric.), University of Peradeniya, 2004

JOURNAL PAPERS

• Herath, V. and Verchot, J. (2021) ‘Insight into the bzip gene family in solanum tuberosum: Genome and transcriptome analysis to understand the roles of gene diversification in spatiotemporal gene expression and function’, International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 22(1), pp. 1–27. doi: 10.3390/ijms22010253.
• Herath, V. and Verchot, J. (2021) ‘Transcriptional Regulatory Networks Associate with Early Stages of Potato Virus X Infection of Solanum tuberosum’, International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 22(6), p. 2837.
• Liyanage, K. K. et al. (2020) ‘Genome Wide Identification of the MLO Gene Family Associated with Powdery Mildew Resistance in Rubber Trees (Hevea brasiliensis)’, Tropical Plant Biology. Springer, 13(4), pp. 331–342. doi: 10.1007/s12042-020-09262-3.
• Herath, V., Gayral, M., Adhikari, N. et al. Genome-wide identification and characterization of Solanum tuberosum BiP genes reveal the role of the promoter architecture in BiP gene diversity. Sci Rep 10, 11327 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-68407-2
• Herath, V., Gayral, M., Miller, R. K., & Verchot, J. (2020). BIP and the unfolded protein response are important for potyvirus and potexvirus infection. Plant Signaling & Behavior, 1807723.
• Verchot, J.; Herath, V.; Urrutia, C.D.; Gayral, M.; Lyle, K.; Shires, M.K.; Ong, K.; Byrne, D. Development of a Reverse Genetic System for Studying Rose Rosette Virus in Whole Plants. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 2020, MPMI-04-20-0094-R, doi:10.1094/MPMI-04-20-0094-R.
• Gayral, M., Arias Gaguancela, O., Vasquez, E., Herath, V., Flores, F.J., Dickman, M.B., Verchot, J., (2020).Multiple ER?to?nucleus stress signaling pathways are activated during Plantago asiatica mosaic virus and Turnip mosaic virus infection in Arabidopsis thaliana . Plant J. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.14798
• Herath V, Gayral M, Adhikari N, et al. (2020) Genome-wide identification and characterization of Solanum tuberosum BiP genes reveals the role of the promoter architecture in BiP gene diversity. (pre-print) bioRxiv. doi: 10.1101/2020.05.16.098244
• Verchot J, Herath V, Urrutia CD, et al. (2020) Characterization of Rose rosette virus and development of reverse genetic system for studying virus accumulation and movement in whole plants (pre-print). bioRxiv 712000.
• Nanayakkara, D., Edirisingha, I., Dissanayake, L., Weerasinghe, D., Suriyagoda, L., Herath, V., Perera, C., Jayatilake, D., 2020. A novel intragenic marker targeting the ectodomain of bacterial blight-resistance gene Xa21 for marker-assisted selection in rice. J. Crop Improv. 1–18.
• Herath V ,2016. Small family, big impact: In silico analysis of DREB2 transcription factor family in rice. Comput Biol Chem 65:128–139. doi:10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2016.10.012
• Park, M.R., Yun, K.Y., Mohanty, B., Herath, V., Xu, F., Wijaya, E., Bajic, V.B., Yun, S.J., de Los Reyes, B.G., 2010. Supra-optimal expression of the cold-regulated OsMyb4 transcription factor in transgenic rice changes the complexity of transcriptional network with major effects on stress tolerance and panicle development. Plant, Cell Environ. 33, 2209–2230. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3040.2010.02221.x
• De Zoysa, M., Nanayakkara, D., Herath, V., Jayatilake, D., 2020. Allelic diversity of flowering-time regulatory gene Hd3a in rice. J. Crop Improv. 34, 206–217.
• Herath V (2019) The architecture of the GhD7 promoter reveals the roles of GhD7 in growth, development and the abiotic stress response in rice. Comput Biol Chem 82:1–8.
• Nagalla AD, Jayatilake D V, Herath V, Wickramasinghe M (2017) The molecular evolution of Ghd7 orthologs is not in line with the speciation events in genus Oryza. J Natl Sci Found Sri Lanka 45:229–237. doi: 10.4038/jnsfsr.v45i3.8187
• Abhayawickrama, B., Gimhani, D., Kottearachchi, N., Herath, V., Liyanage, D., Senadheera, P., 2020. In Silico Identification of QTL-Based Polymorphic Genes as Salt-Responsive Potential Candidates through Mapping with Two Reference Genomes in Rice. Plants 9, 233.
• Xu, F., Park, M.-R., Kitazumi, A., Herath, V., Mohanty, B., Yun, S., de los Reyes, B.G., 2012. Cis-regulatory signatures of orthologous stress-associated bZIP transcription factors from rice, sorghum and Arabidopsis based on phylogenetic footprints. BMC Genomics 13, 497. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2164-13-497
• Mohanty B, Herath V, Wijaya E, et al. (2012) Patterns of cis-element enrichment reveal potential regulatory modules involved in the transcriptional regulation of anoxia response of japonica rice. Gene 511:235–242.
• Yun, K.-Y., Park, M.R., Mohanty, B., Herath, V., Xu, F., Mauleon, R., Wijaya, E., Bajic, V., Bruskiewich, R., de los Reyes, B., 2010. Transcriptional regulatory network triggered by oxidative signals configures the early response mechanisms of japonica rice to chilling stress. BMC Plant Biol. 10, 16.

MEMBERSHIPS 

• 2020- The Society for the Study of Evolution
• 2019 - Member, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• 2007 – Member, American Society of Plant Biologists
• 2004 – Life member, Sri Lankan Assoc. for the Advancement of Science
• 2007 – Honorary member, Golden key international honorary society