Ruwan Jayaweera
Associate Principal • PAE Engineers
Ruwan is a mechanical engineer with more than 20 years of experience in the design and modeling of sustainable buildings. He focuses on giving back to society by being at the forefront of conversations around sustainability and social equity in his field. His expertise includes construction management, commissioning, and energy auditing, all through which he helps teams reduce operation costs and increase energy savings in building.
Photo courtesy of Ruwan Jayaweera
I knew I wanted to look back and be proud of something I did that gave back to society.
Born in Sri Lanka, Ruwan moved to the U.S. at the age of seven, joining his parents first in Portland, OR, then Maryland, as his father pursued a PhD in Physics and post-doctorate at Johns Hopkins. Talented in math and science, Ruwan also discovered his love of nature at an early age, and knew he wanted to give back to both people and the planet with his work. He completed both his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland, and after working on the East Coast for over seven years in the engineering field, Ruwan decided to relocate to be a part of more conversations around sustainability and equity in his field.
As Associate Principal at PAE, Ruwan’s role encompassese business development, project management, and serving as a technical resource for his team. He works on net-zero energy developments, evaluating their carbon footprint in order to set higher sustainability goals and push for more high performing buildings to be the standard in all communities. Ruwan hopes to encourage younger generations and more diverse populations to be a part of these conversations and decisions impacting community health. He volunteers with groups like ACE Mentor Program and MESA, focused on teaching engineering, architecture, and science to middle and high school students. In 2019, he founded Room For More, a group providing support and education around diversity and inclusion in architectural and engineering fields.
PErsonal History
Ruwan presents a design for the Rocky Mountain Institute Innovation Center, a Net-Zero Energy building, operating “without cooling systems and very little heating to maintain comfort” (PAE).
Photo courtesy of Ruwan Jayaweera
Growing up in Sri Lanka
“I was born in Sri Lanka, and both my parents had just graduated college at the time. They moved to the U.S., and came to Portland for my dad to do his PhD in Physics. My mom was also pursuing a degree, so I stayed with my grandma and uncle, and I grew up with them until I was about seven. My uncle was a geography professor, and used to take me hiking and teach me so much—from this I formed an early interest in nature and how all of it played together. I then moved to the U.S. to be with my parents, and basically grew up in Baltimore as my dad pursued his postdoctoral work.”
Funding my Way Through School
“I had to take a side-job to fund my way through grad school, and was working at Sears at night. I had a friend there who knew someone at an engineering company, and he told me about a position; I applied, and transitioned to finishing my master’s part time. It took me two more years to finish these five classes while working. I was paying for it on my own, and it was tough. I was at a firm that did a lot of Federal Government work. It was really interesting engineering work, but the company wasn’t very supportive that I was pursuing my master’s on the side.”
“I got into the architectural field almost by accident. I had a few mentors; including my father’s friends, who were Sri Lankan, and were professional engineers. When I was in college, they mentored me and talked to me, which helped push me towards something and teach me the applications of what I was studying.”
Photo courtesy of Ruwan Jayaweera
Making a Difference
“I wanted to work at PAE because of the focus on sustainability we have. I’ve enjoyed working on our projects, feeling like I am making a difference in terms of reducing our carbon footprint, energy use, and water use—and that the buildings we design push that conversation to others.”
“I knew I wanted to do something where I could say that I made a difference in the world, or had a hand at improving society and the earth as a whole. I now also have the opportunity to teach at PSU, working with senior level engineering students. I want to teach the next level of our engineers who help to solve problems when we’re all retired.”
PAE is a company with a stated goal to solve the world’s energy and water problems, and we put people and planet on equal footing. We take a certain percentage of profits and put that back into the community, doing pro-bono projects, paid time for employees to do community service, and in terms of projects, we’re able to select ones that have more impact and meaning in terms of people and planet.
Photo courtesy of Ruwan Jayaweera
Photo courtesy of Ruwan Jayaweera
Room For More
“Portland is not very diverse, and when you get to certain levels at a company and [begin] working with clients, you lose that diversity even more. I realized that if I was having these issues, then I’m sure other people who are similar to me are as well. After talking with people in the industry about this for years, we decided to form a diversity group for architects and engineers named Room for More. We provide a safe space for people to come and talk freely. Next, we’re planning meetings with leadership at local firms to hold more discussions on why diversity and inclusion are important and can benefit our workplaces.”
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