Piyumi Wijesirigunawardana hails from the city of Kandy in Sri Lanka. She pursued her undergraduate studies in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Colombo. Her interest in the area of bioactive natural products inspired her to pursue her PhD under the guidance of Dr. Florence Williams in the Chemistry department at the University of Iowa. Through her research she aspires to find biological mechanisms that can slow or reverse degeneration in brain cells due to diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Currently, she is a fourth-year graduate student in Williams group. In her leisure time, Piyumi enjoys hanging out with friends and family, playing guitar and cooking.