Akila Karunanayake, PhD, MBA

Akila Karunanayake, PhD, MBA is a Product Development Manager at Carus with deep expertise in research and development for water treatment and mining applications. She leads product development initiatives focused on permanganate technologies, guiding projects from early laboratory research through commercialization. Akila works closely with cross-functional teams—including Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Technical Services—to translate customer needs and market insights into scalable, high-impact solutions.

Prior to joining Carus, she served as a Senior Research Scientist at Biochar Supreme Inc. and as a lecturer at Mississippi State University, where she taught analytical and general chemistry and conducted applied research. Akila holds a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Mississippi State University and an MBA focused on data analytics and innovation from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and is known for her data-driven, customer-centric approach to advancing new technologies.