Viruja completed her primary degree in food technology. Her work interests include food processing technologies for improved efficiency and reduced energy and water consumption across agri-food chains.

Her PhD research involves the development of innovative clean and green technologies for extraction of bioactive molecules from seaweeds. The aim is to reduce the use of chemicals during extraction, whilst reducing energy consumption, and without compromising the yield and quality of the end product.

Innovative clean and green technologies employed in her PhD research have the potential to develop novel ingredients for a range of agri-food applications. The main focus is on high value ingredients extracted from Irish seaweeds, such as sulphated polysaccharides (e.g. fucoidans), soluble dietary fibres, proteins and bioactives (e.g. phlorotannins and fucoxanthins).