Having graduated from the University of Ceylon with BSc (Eng) degree and PhD in Soil Mechanics from the Victoria University of Manchester (1971) Dr Karunaratne joined the University of Ceylon (subsequently renamed as University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka), as a Faculty staff with Late Professor A Thurairajah, Professor A S Balasubramaniam and Professor B L Tennekoon.
University of Singapore (renamed subsequently as National University of Singapore) recruited him as a Faculty staff rising to Associate Professor and Head of the Division of Geotechnical Engineering until 2002 (with a short break in 1996-7). During this period he was instrumental in contributing to research and development of land reclamation, pile foundations, ground improvement and geotechnical instrumentation and became one of the leading researchers. Development of the patented prefabricated vertical drain “Fibredrain”, the only bio-degradable drain, took place with his and collaborators research effort in the light of the land reclamation and ground improvement needed for the construction of the Changi International Airport in Singapore, commencing in 1976. Prime purpose of this effort was to provide a standby prefabricated drain to the only other PVD existing at that time in the market.
Other notable research efforts included ground improvement with heavy tamping, prefabricated vertical drains, geosynthetics and electric vertical drains. Geotechnical Instrumentation was a key feature of many of these research projects. Of particular importance is the research culminated in the development of “Layered Clay-Sand Reclamation Scheme” which was field tested with a Singapore Government grant at the Changi International Airport site in late 1980s and the PVD filter stress measurement during installation. He contributed to geosynthetics research in full scale blast loading tests in Australia with the assistance of the Singapore Defense Forces and the National University of Singapore divisional staff.
Many ground engineering projects in the region covering Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Japan and Sri Lanka consulted him. In Sri Lanka his contribution to the Uda-Walawe project development, Lower Kotmale dam, Southern Expressway Project etc as a Geotechnical Engineering Consultant is noteworthy.
His research has led to more than 300 publications in Journals and Conference proceedings in geotechnical and geosynthetics engineering. Several conferences were organized with his active participation, the notable ones being 1994 International Geosynthetics Conference, in Singapore and the Geosynthetics Asia- 2000 in Kuala Lumpur.
He was appointed as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore, 2002-2005. A short spell as a Founding Director and MD of Geo5 R&D and Services Company Ltd in Singapore, a Spin-off company of the National University of Singapore, and as a geotechnical engineering consultant to Maunsell-AECOM in 2008/9 culminated his career.
Research now leads him to spiritual efforts in meditation. Mind is the foremost in any research including the mind itself.
