Dr Dinali de Silva is Director of Business Development & Innovation at King's College London, where she leads the King's Innovation Catalyst department, encompassing Translational Research, Industry Research Partnerships, and Intellectual Property & Licensing.  

Dinali works with researchers across King's to accelerate the translation of world-leading research into real-world impact. She oversees support for securing translational funding, developing collaborations with industry and external partners, commercialising intellectual property, and creating new ventures that bring innovative ideas beyond the laboratory and into society.  

Dinali joined King's in August 2026. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry from Durham University and a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Southampton. Following her doctoral studies, she began her career as a Research Scientist at Sharp Laboratories of Europe Ltd within the liquid crystal devices division.  

With more than two decades of experience in research commercialisation, technology transfer and innovation, Dinali has held leadership roles at Brunel University, Oxford University Innovation and at the University of Manchester Innovation Factory, where she served as Head of Investment and Licensing for Science and Engineering, leading activities across spin-out creation, technology licensing and investment.