Generating fuels from water will be the topic of the next Research on Tap lecture at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, in the loft area of Public House Brewing Co. in Rolla. Umanga de Silva, a Ph.D. student in chemistry, will lead the discussion.

The rising demand for energy security and reducing fossil fuel dependence has prompted researchers to search for clean, sustainable and efficient energy generation systems with a low impact on the environment.

Umanga de Silva grew up in Sri Lanka and earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Colombo and a master’s degree in polymer technology from the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka. She is currently completing a Ph.D. degree in chemistry with a focus on electrocatalytic water oxidation in Dr. Manashi Nath’s research group. Nath is an associate professor of chemistry. De Silva’s research interests include synthesis of nanostructured catalytic materials and understanding the water oxidation capability of the catalysts through structure-property relationships.