Izzy Jayasinghe is a senior lecturer in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Sheffield and the leader of the Applied Biophotonics Group. Her research focuses on

super resolution microscopy Super-resolution microscopy is a series of techniques in optical microscopy that allow such images to have resolutions higher than those imposed by the diffraction limit, which is due to the diffraction of light. Super-resolution imaging techni ...

, biophysics, cardiac muscle and microscopy instrument development. In addition to her scientific research and teaching, she is a strong advocate for gender equality and diversity in academia.

Education

Jayasinghe received a Bachelor of Science (BSc) with a major in cardiovascular sciences from the University of Auckland in 2007. She completed her doctor of philosophy (PhD) in physiology at the University of Auckland in 2010. In 2008, Jayasinghe became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy receiving accreditation as a higher education provider approved by the UK Professional Standards Framework.

Research and career

From 2010 to 2011, Jayasinghe was an assistant research fellow in the Department of Physiology in the University of Auckland. She was a post-doctoral research fellow in the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Queensland from 2011 to 2013. She then joined the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences at the University of Exeter as an associate research fellow from 2013 to 2015. Jayasinghe was a lecturer in cardiovascular sciences in the Faculty of Biological Sciences at the University of Leeds from 2015 to 2020. In 2020, she joined the University of Sheffield as an UKRI Future Leader Fellow with the topic of "Taking super resolution microscopy beyond the laboratory" in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Jayasinghe is a strong advocate of equality, diversity and inclusion. In 2019, she joined TigerinSTEMM, a group dedicated to champion equality, diversity and accessibility in the UK

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The term is typically used in the context of ...

education system. She also champions the rights of the LGBT+ community in academia and beyond. Jayasinghe gave a keynote talk entitled "Finding solace in STEM" at the fourth LGBT+ STEMinar in 2019 which gave a powerful account of her personal journey from her origins in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

during civil war, her formative years in New Zealand where her passion for science started and experiences of the changing attitudes to LGBT+ rights throughout her career.

Awards and honors

Jayasinghe is an elected member of the Women in Physics committee in the Institute of Physics.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jayasinghe, Izzy Living people Year of birth missing (living people) University of Auckland alumni Biophysicists New Zealand people of Sri Lankan descent LGBT scientists Academics of the University of Sheffield Academics of the University of Leeds UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowship