DrGayani Karunasena
Senior Lecturer, Construction Management
Faculty of Science Engineering and Built Environment/School of Architecture and Built Environment
Orcid identifier0000-0002-3972-3906 (opens in a new tab)
- Senior Lecturer, Construction ManagementFaculty of Science Engineering and Built Environment/School of Architecture and Built Environment
- +61 3 524 79396 (Work)
- Geelong Waterfront Campus, 1 Gheringhap Street Geelong, Victoria 3220
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Dr Gayani Karunasena has over 20 years of research experience in the built environment, with an interdisciplinary focus on advancing sustainable construction through innovative and industry-relevant approaches. Her expertise spans:
- Waste Management specilaised on liquid waste management
- Circular Economy application
- Energy compliance and transition
- Qunatity Surveying
- Sustainable Construction
Her current research addresses key sustainability and regulatory challenges in construction, including improving liquid waste management practices, supporting energy transition and decarbonisation (with a focus on CALD communities), advancing circular economy adoption in construction waste management, strengthening energy compliance and climate resilience, and developing practical tools to measure circularity in buildings.
GRANTS
- GRANTFEATUREDEmpowering Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Communities in Victorias Energy Transition: Co-Designing Engagement Strategies15 Oct 2025 - 15 May 2026People funded by this grant:
- Gayani Karunasena
- GRANTFEATUREDGreen WaterFlow Navigator - A Tool to Integrate Liquid Waste Management Practices for Water Savings and Circular21 May 2025 - 14 Apr 2030People funded by this grant:
- Karunasena G,
- Udawatta N
- GRANTFEATUREDSustainable assessment of land use changes from town expansion.24 Nov 2023 - 1 Jun 2027People funded by this grant:
- Liu C,
- Karunasena G,
- Wu X
- INTERNAL GRANTOperationalising Circular Building Assessment: Developing a Practitioner Handbook and ToolkitSchool of Architecture and Built Enviornment5 May 2026 - 30 Oct 2026People funded by this grant:
- Karunasena G,
- Mani S,
- Hasan A,
- Hosseini R
- INTERNAL GRANTVictorian Gold Mine Tailings as an Alternative Concrete MaterialFaculty of Science Engineering and Built Environment20 Mar 2025 - 31 Oct 2025People funded by this grant:
- Adhikari S,
- Karunasena G,
- Moon E,
- Sainsbury B-A,
- Zhao S
- INTERNAL GRANTResearch agenda for advancing circular solutions in construction liquid waste managementSchool of Architecture and Built Environment2 Sep 2024 - 20 Dec 2024People funded by this grant:
- Karunasena G
- INTERNAL GRANTGreening Australian Homes: Investigating the Readiness of Building and Real Estate Sectors for Energy Efficiency DisclosureSchool of Architecture and Built Environment1 May 2024 - 30 Sep 2024People funded by this grant:
- Karunasena G,
- Hulathdoowage ND,
- Liu C,
- Glen R,
- Philip H
- INTERNAL GRANTAnalysis of Defects Waste in Low-Rise Residential Buildings in VictoriaSchool of Architecture and Built Environment, Deakin University1 Mar 2023 - 31 Dec 2023People funded by this grant:
- Gurmu A,
- Karunasena G,
- Udawatta N,
- Shooshtaria S,
- Maqsood T
- INTERNAL GRANTReview on regulations and standards applicable for liquid waste managementSchool of Architecture and Built Environment1 Mar 2023 - 31 Oct 2023People funded by this grant:
- Karunasena G
- INTERNAL GRANTStreamlining Construction Wastewater Management: Developing a Stakeholder Management Plan for VictoriaFaculty of Science, Engineering & Built Environment10 Jan 2022 - 31 Oct 2022People funded by this grant:
- Karunasena G,
- Milne N,
- Udawatta N,
- Perera S,
- Gajanayake A
- INTERNAL GRANTTransitioning to NetZero & 7-star homes in Greater Geelong: engaging local home builders and architects5 Jul 2021 - 31 Oct 2021People funded by this grant:
- Li HX,
- Sadick MA,
- Arnel T,
- Kite J,
- Sanders P
- INTERNAL GRANTWaste to resource: creating a virtual, mobile market for construction and demolition (C&D) waste reuse and recyclingSchool of Architecture and Built Environment2 Jul 2021 - 31 Oct 2021People funded by this grant:
- Udawatta N,
- Karunasena G
- INTERNAL GRANTAre we handling trade waste discharge effectively during major building construction in Australia?School of Architecture and Built Environment1 Mar 2021 - 31 Oct 2021People funded by this grant:
- Karunasena G,
- Udawatta N
- INTERNAL GRANTWaste to resource: creating a virtual, mobile market for construction and demolition (C&D) waste reuse and recyclingSchool of Architecture and Built Enviornment2 Mar 2020 - 31 Oct 2020People funded by this grant:
- Udawatta N,
- Karunasena G,
- Hu X,
- Sadick A,
- Kamardeen I
- INTERNAL GRANTEffective labour management towards productivity gain through developing relationship between local and foreign workforce in Sri LankaFaculty of Science, Engineering & Built Environment1 Mar 2019 - 31 Oct 2019People funded by this grant:
- Karunasena G
- INTERNAL GRANTIndustrial Symbiosis (IS) Network Model for Waste Water RecyclingSchool of Architecture and Built Environment1 Mar 2019 - 31 Oct 2019People funded by this grant:
- Karunasena G
- INTERNAL GRANTEngaging with rural communities using Integral Design Framework (IDF) to sustain the culture of building: the case of Anganwadi Ajjarkad in Udupi, IndiaSchool of Architecture and Built Environment1 Mar 2018 - 30 Nov 2018People funded by this grant:
- Karunasena G,
- Ang S,
- Rashid MM,
- Zhang P,
- Beza B
- INTERNAL GRANTUsing the Integrated Sustainable Design and Construction (ISDC) framework to improve community development in rural areas: Ampara, Sri Lanka1 Mar 2017 - 30 Nov 2017People funded by this grant:
- Ang S,
- Karunasena G,
- Tucker R,
- Beza B,
- Palliyaguru R