DrNilupa Udawatta

Nilupa is a dynamic researcher whose work examines how circular economy principles can transform waste into opportunity while promoting sustainable construction practices. Bridging environmental science with social dynamics, her research explores the cultural and organizational factors that shape effective waste management and resource recovery. Committed to collaboration and conflict resolution, she champions innovative and inclusive approaches to advancing a more resilient and circular built environment.

At Deakin, Nilupa’s teaching expertise spans construction measurement and estimating, procurement, cost planning and contract administration. She is particularly passionate about integrating industry-informed knowledge with innovative, student-centred pedagogical approaches to enhance learning and engagement in construction education.

Nilupa is currently acting as the Master of Construction Management Course Director at Deakin University. In this role, she provides academic leadership and strategic direction for the program, overseeing curriculum development, student outcomes, and course operations across the institution.

Nilupa completed her PhD in Building at the School of Natural and Built Environments, University of South Australia, in 2016, with a thesis titled “Integrating the Dancers with the Dance: A Study of Project Culture and Waste Management in the Australian Construction Industry.” Her doctoral research formed part of the prestigious Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project, “Reconsidering Sustainable Building and Design: A Cultural Change Approach,” which examined the role of cultural change in advancing sustainable design and construction practices. She also holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Quantity Surveying, awarded with First Class Honours, from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.

Nilupa also contributes to the broader academic community through her editorial roles. She currently serves as Associate Editor for the Environmental Impact Assessment Review (EIA Review) (since January 2023).

Her academic excellence has been recognised through several prestigious awards, including the International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) (2012–2015), the Gold Medal for the Quantity Surveying Graduand with the highest overall Grade Point Average (2010), and the Professor H.P.S. Caldera Memorial Award for the best dissertation in the B.Sc. (Quantity Surveying) Honours Degree (2010).