Yashodha Charuni Weerasekara

Title: Graduate Student
Email: weerasekara-y@webmail.uwinnipeg.ca

Degree: Master of Science
Thesis: Influence of Soil Dissolved Organic Matter Quality on Phosphorous Mobilization from Agricultural Soils during Snowmelt Runoff in the Red River Basin, Canada
Supervisor: Dr. Nora Casson
Entry: Fall 2025

Research Interests:

My research interests include soil biogeochemistry, nutrient dynamics, and sustainable agriculture, with a strong background in soil microbiology and organic agriculture. Currently, my MSc research examines how soil dissolved organic matter quality influences phosphorus (P) mobilization from agricultural soils during spring snowmelt in the Red River Basin. By combining field sampling, optical spectroscopy, and statistical modelling, I aim to understand interactions between soil organic matter properties and the risk of P loss during snowmelt, a major driver of eutrophication in water bodies across the Canadian Prairies, including Lake Winnipeg.  Through this work, I hope to contribute to evidence-based nutrient management strategies that balance agricultural productivity with environmental protection.

I am Yashodha Charuni Weerasekara, a first-year graduate student in the M.Sc. in Environmental and Social Change program at the University of Winnipeg. I hold a B.Sc. in Agricultural Technology and Management from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, where I specialized in Soil Science. Currently, I am conducting my thesis research under the supervision of Dr. Nora Casson. I have more than two years of professional experience in organic agriculture, including field-based soil management, sustainable farming practices, and working with international organic agriculture standards.