The Commission of Appointment was presented to Prof. Eddleston on 31st July by High Commissioner Amari Wijewardene at the High Commission of Sri Lanka in London.

Prof. Eddleston is the Professor of Clinical Toxicology at the Pharmacology, Toxicology & Therapeutics, and Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh.

Prof. Eddleston has over 22 years of experience working with academic, research and health organizations in Sri Lanka, particularly in the rural areas of the North Central province. He has been instrumental in bringing in grants worth Rs 500 million to Sri Lankan research which has helped in dramatic reductions of pesticide poisoning deaths in the country. More recently, he was actively involved in organizing the 150th Anniversary of Ceylon Tea at the University of Edinburgh which was attended by around 150 participants.

Prof. Eddleston is widely known among the academic and business community in Scotland and hopes to further the development of commercial and economic relations between Scotland and Sri Lanka. He hopes to forge new academic collaborations and to assist developing the nursing sector through partnerships with nursing groups in Scotland.