Dr. R. O. B. Wijesekera, the doyen of Natural Product Chemistry, and a much loved figure among all those he worked with passed away on July 13, 2021 after a brief illness. He was 92 at the time of death.  Knowing his abiding love of cricket, he would have said with a satisfied smile, “I have batted a good innings”.  Dr. ROB leaves behind his charming wife Marina. 

It is no secret that Dr. Wijesekera was a scientist par excellence. But not many know about his endearing qualities as a human being. I will attempt to do justice to both aspects.   

Dr. Wijesekera started his research career at the MRI in 1952, where he worked on indigenous medicinal plants. He earned his PhD from the University of Sheffield in 1955 and returned to Sri Lanka in 1959.  He joined the CISIR in 1966 and built up a vibrant and active Natural Products Section, producing research papers and patents at a prolific rate, gaining much fame in the field of spices and essential oils.  His immense contribution towards human resource development came in the form of a two-part Ph.D. system where several of his protégés were sent for brief stints at Swedish and European laboratories by arrangement with his colleagues at foreign universities. Their work was used for presentation of doctoral theses at local universities. He was thus responsible for the conferment of PhD s on several of his staff.  

For the performance of research in this sector, and his leadership he was awarded the Guinness Award for Scientific Achievement in 1976 administered by the Commonwealth Science Council. The citation starts off with “The Sri Lankan scientist to receive the award is Dr. R.O.B. Wijesekera of the CISIR. Dr. Wijesekera has for the past ten years built up a unit to study and develop the extraction of essential oils from plants notably cardamom, citronella, and cinnamon…”

Dr. ROB’s international career took off from here, when he served as a consultant to UNIDO-ESCAP on the essential oil industry. Thereafter, he moved to Guyana as Special Consultant to the Government, and in 1978 he was selected by the WHO as Task Force Manager of their International Research Programme on Plants for Fertility. Having proven himself as an able research manager, he was recruited by UNIDO in 1980 as a Special Technical Advisor to the Chemical Industries Branch and was responsible for the Industrial Utilization of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants programme in several countries. He was instrumental in initiating major UNIDO projects in the areas of essential oils and medicinal plants in several countries. His extensive travels into the exotic and little known areas of the world are vividly described in his autobiographical treatise titled’ Clouds are not Spheres nor Mountains Cones’.  

After his return to Sri Lanka, Dr. Wijesekera came back to the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) in 1995 as Chairman, before taking over as the Inaugural Chairman of the National Science and Technology Commission (NASTEC), when the S&T Development Act came into force in 1998. 

Although I meant to list his impressive achievements in brief it would be remiss of me to omit the letters behind his name. Dr. Wijesekera was awarded an honorary D.Sc. from the University of Sheffield, a D.Sc. Honoris Causa by the University of Peradeniya, was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and is a Chartered Chemist of the U.K., and a Fellow of the National Academy of Science (Sri Lanka). He was a past President of both the Institute of Chemistry and the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science, and was also the recipient of the Presidential Vidya Jyothi Award.  Almost till the time of his demise he served as Director/Consultant at Link Natural Products Pvt. Ltd.    

Dr. Wijesekera started his research career at the MRI in 1952, where he worked on indigenous medicinal plants. He earned his PhD from the University of Sheffield in 1955 and returned to Sri Lanka in 1959.  He joined the CISIR in 1966 and built up a vibrant and active Natural Products Section

It is at Link Natural, where he served as the Editor in Chief and I worked as the Editor of the Link Natural Digest, that I really got to know Dr. ROB on a personal basis. However much he aged, his love for reading scientific material never abated. He was a scientist with an incredible vision, and when compiling the Digest, he had an uncanny insight into what subjects would draw the interests of readers. During his tenure as Editor in Chief, the accolades he received from eminent scientists all over the world are indeed gratifying. 

Another unique characteristic was his phenomenal memory. The most endearing quality about him however, was his genuine concern for the welfare of his staff, both professional and domestic. As for me, he leaves an irreplaceable void in my working life as a mentor and sounding board. He influenced my thinking patterns immeasurably.

In his personal life, he was very much a family man, an amazing husband, father and grandfather. He was so proud of their achievements and would talk about them so much that I felt I knew them personally.

Finally, I think he would also want it mentioned that he was, as he put it an ‘FRCS’, not a medical one but a ‘Former Royal College Student’ who distinguished himself both as a scholar and in sports having represented his school in cricket and rugger. 

Dr Wijesekera led a good life, and I  know he will reach a place where his actions will  be richly rewarded. May attain supreme bliss of Nibbana. 
Renu Warnasuriya