Priya Somasuntharam

I have completed a master’s in Engineering Management from the University of Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. While graduated from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka with a bachelor’s degree in Engineering(honors) specialised in Materials Science and Engineering (4-year full-time). I have gained 6 years of experience in materials engineering projects with excellent project management, reporting, and analytical skills in the Sri Lankan manufacturing industries and construction companies. Meticulous in approach to technical reports and investigations to evolve the best company strategy for the best results. Proactive with excellent leadership skills and excited to work as a team to achieve goals. I am currently seeking an opportunity in the Materials Science and Engineering discipline in the United Kingdom.

1. S-lon Lanka (Pvt) Ltd - Sri Lanka
Research and Development Executive (April 2017 – September 2022)
I have handled numerous projects related to polymer process and polymer technology while improving my project management skills and project planning skills. I gained vast experience and knowledge in extrusion, injection moulding, and the blow moulding process of thermoplastic materials, especially PVC, PE, PP, and PET.

Duties and responsibilities:
Initiated research and development efforts on new products and processes.
Modified and improved the existing product formulation and process to optimise quality, productivity, and cost.
Inspected the quality control of raw materials for production.
Planned and developed experimental test programs.
Assisted in analysing the customer complaint and took appropriate corrective action on a product development basis.
Assisted with Quality Management System (ISO 9001) and Occupational Health and Safety Management System (ISO 45001) activities.
Assisted with developing, maintaining document control, and implementing new policies, procedures, etc. as required.
Planned and coordinated quality management and safety management meetings, minutes taking, and action follow-up.
Organized and conducted internal audits and risk reporting activities at identified intervals, and evaluated audit findings.
Reviewed the non-conformity report, analysed the root cause, and implemented corrective and preventive actions.
Assisted in obtaining national certification (Sri Lankan Standard) for existing products.
Provided administrative support to implement and maintain the ISO/IEC 17025.
Coordinated with third-party certification bodies such as SLSI, BVQ, and SGS for certification.
Established, maintained, and updated relevant analysis methods, specifications (recipe, ingredients list), and documents of all projects and samples' status on time.
Improved and revised the existing product, research data, and proposed product specification.
Developed testing methods, acceptance criteria, and testing infrastructure for the new products.
Monitored the performance of quality control systems to ensure effectiveness and efficiency.
Interacted with customers, product development team, and sales team on issuing new standards for new products.
Assisted in providing support and advice to manufacturing plant activities.
Coordinated with authorities and organizations for various approvals for the project execution.

2. V.V. Karunaratne & Company - Sri Lanka
Materials Engineer (October 2016 – March 2017)
Projects: 14 km of Class ‘B’ road construction project (NRCP/NP/NCB/KL-06) under Northern Road Connectivity Project (NRCP) in Sri Lanka, site located in Akkarayankulam in Kilinochi district.
I have experienced successfully managing multiple small-scale projects simultaneously like concrete plans, and bar schedules, with developing organizational skills, communication skills, and teamwork.

Duties and responsibilities:
Directly involved in determining, negotiating, and agreeing on in-house quality procedures, standards, and specifications.
Assisted in QA/QC documents of the complete project, including certificates, calibration, test results, inspection requests, non-compliance reports and site instruction/observations, permanent materials delivered, and other important QA/QC documents.
Developed and determined all standards to perform inspections and tests on all procedures, oversee all testing methods, and maintain high-quality standards for all processes.
Assisted in reviewing the quality of all materials at the site, ensuring compliance with all project specifications and quality, and collaborating with the department for all material procurement and quality materials.
Carried out laboratory tests such as Sieve Analysis, Cube Compressive Strength tests, Aggregate Impact Value, Proctor Compaction test, etc.
Directly involved with the site inspection and analysed troubleshooting process of the construction line.

3. University of Moratuwa - Sri Lanka
Instructor (October 2015 – October 2016)

Duties and responsibilities:
Conducted tutorial classes, seminars, and workshops.
Demonstrated practicals and laboratory workshop sessions.
Assisted in preparing teaching materials and invigilating exams.

4. Loadstar (Pvt) Ltd. - Sri Lanka
Trainee Materials Engineer (November 2013 – May 2014)
I have been exposed to a materials laboratory in the R&D section and gained experience in laboratory tests and field tests. I undertook a project to increase the service life of airbags and bladders.

Duties and responsibilities:
Carried out laboratory tests for rubber compounds such as Rebound, Abrasion, Ozone test, Mooney viscosity, Flexometer, DMA & FTIR.
Analysed the chemical properties and mechanical properties of rubber compounds.
Experienced in Solid tire and Pneumatic tire technology.
Investigated and analysed Dynamic, Static, and Field tests for various rubber compounds.
Experimented with the curing cycles of rubber compounds to optimise the properties.

MSc. Engineering Management
University of Gloucestershire
United Kingdom
 

BSc. Engineering (Honors)
Specialized in Materials Science and Engineering.
University of Moratuwa
Sri Lanka