Sri Lankan author, educator and taxonomist, Rohan Pethiyagoda has been awarded the coveted Linnean Medal for Zoology 2022, considered the ‘Nobel Prize for naturalists.’
This is the first time a Sri Lankan has won the medal, which has been awarded annually by the Linnean Society of London since 1888 to distinguished botanists and zoologists across the globe.
Pethiyagoda is the second Asian to win the medal.
Pethiyagoda is one of the country’s leading naturalists and a taxonomist on freshwater fish of Sri Lanka. He is also an accomplished researcher who has authored numerous books and articles on zoology.