Leadership

Dr Gunatilake has a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture (Sri Lanka), Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainable Agriculture (Norway), Masters in Natural Resources Management (Norway), and PhD in Resource Economics (United States). and served as Professor and the Head, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (1986 – 2004).

The notable training he has undergone includes training on Environmental Economics and Policy Analysis at Harvard University, USA, in 1993, and a programme on Leadership for Sustainable Development, Cambridge University, UK, in 2011.

He joined ADB as an environment specialist and served as natural resource economist, economist, and energy economist in different departments. He was also Director of the Environment and Safeguards Division in the Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department of ADB. He has published more than 50 journal articles; about 25 ADB publications; and five books on energy, natural resources, and environmental economics. His recent publications are on economics of biofuel, hydropower development and economic growth, impact evaluation of energy sector investments, private sector participation in infrastructure provisions, assessing and unbundling demand for water and electricity, energy trade and regional cooperation, and transport sector investments, economic growth and poverty reduction.
Dr. Gunatilake was a former member of the Board of South Asia Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE). He is a Fellow of the Institute of Policy Studies Colombo, Visiting Professor at Kelaniya and Peradeniya Universities, Member of Agricultural Economists Association, and Member of Research and Training Committee in Hector Kobbekaduwa Research and Training Institute.

Karin has a Master’s in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University, USA. She has over 15 years’ experience in implementing Development and Environmental Management projects with NGOs and multilateral agencies. Karin has in-depth knowledge and expertise in Sustainable Development, Monitoring and Evaluation, Facilitation and Training.  She has carried out many research assignments, consultancies, generated and contributed to many knowledge outputs. Karin is also a Qualitative Researcher. At CEPA, she heads the Sustainable Development Thematic Programme that concentrates on building evidence and generating a dialogue on sustainable systems in order to integrate this knowledge into development policy and practice at local and global levels. Over the past 12 years at CEPA, she has led and managed multiple research projects that cover numerous topics related to the environment and climate change, estate sector, labour, education, infrastructure, and resettlement.

Areas of interest: Sustainable Development, Environmental and Natural Resource Management and Impact Monitoring. 

Gayathri obtained her PhD from the Wageningen University in the Netherlands, studying how intersectional social identities shape livelihoods in post-war contexts. She has twelve years of research experience, and experience as a trainer/facilitator on qualitative research methods. Her past research and publications include post-war development and rebuilding, livelihoods, gender and intersectional identities, entrepreneurship, with a specific focus on coastal communities. Her methodological orientation is qualitative and includes ethnography. At CEPA, Gayathri leads the Livelihoods and Employment Thematic area.

Areas of interest:  Conflict, Post-War Development and Livelihoods including Small and Medium Enterprises and Value Chain Analysis.

Munas obtained his PhD from Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands. His doctoral research looked at the complexities of diaspora engagement in post-war communities of Sri Lanka. Munas received his Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Colombo and Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture at the University of Peradeniya. Munas’s research and publications focus on transnationalism, migration and development, transnationalism and diaspora engagement in post-war recovery, using alternative dispute resolution mechanisms for sustainable peace, reconciliation and social cohesion, poverty and conflict and fisheries sector issues.

Munas has extensive experience in carrying out evaluations and assessments of development interventions, including peacebuilding projects for development agencies and government of Sri Lanka using OECD-DAC evaluation criteria. He also conducts training in qualitative research methods and qualitative data collection using computer assisted qualitative analysis software such as NVIVO. Munas currently leads the Labour Migration Thematic at CEPA.

Areas of Interest: Poverty and Conflict, Post-War Development and recovery, Post-development, Transnationalism and Religious Identities, Diaspora Engagement, Evaluations.

Indika has a PhD in Sociology from the University of Colombo and an MPhil in Social Anthropology from the University of Sussex, UK. She was a Fulbright Scholar at the Elliot School of International Relations, George Washington University in Washington D.C in 2009, and was also the recipient of the UNESCO Fellowship in 2001 for her studies at the University of Sussex.

Indika has worked with several bilateral organisations and NGOs in areas related to conflict, reconciliation, land rights, land distribution and water tenure. Her strengths are in qualitative research with over 15 years’ fieldwork experience. She has also many publications to her credit.

She is a visiting academic in the Master’s in Peace and Conflict Studies at the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo. She also has experience in diverse fields of teaching for undergraduate and masters students at the Open University of Sri Lanka. Prior to joining CEPA she worked as Head of Public Relations at the Open University of Sri Lanka.

Areas of interest: Skills development, Political violence, Land tenure, Water tenure, Female migrant labour.

Hemanthi is a Fellow Member the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and also a Fellow member of the Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka. She had worked at KPMG Sri lanka in the capacity of Tax Manager and Audit Manger during her stay from 1996 to 2002.While at KPMG She has gained extensive exposure to Taxation and related issues and also Auditing and Accounting relating to Quoted Companies, Limited liability Companies, etc. Further She had served as the Director Finance of Urban Development Authority. Her working experience includes Government Sector Institutions like Outer Circular Highway Project under Road Development Authority, Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital in the capacity of Accountant. Also had worked at Altair as the Finance Manager to Special Authorized Officer, the Institute of Chartered Accountants as the Head of Finance, Chief Financial Officer of CIFL, Finance Manager at Ceylinco Ltd, Overseas experience includes working as the Accountant for A& P Dominion and Export Packers in Toronto Canada and Finance Manager at KGL Investments in Kuwait.

With 26 years of   post-qualified experience, had gained exposure in Investment Appraisals, Tax Planning Treasury Management, Auditing and Accounting which covers different business sectors such as Regulatory Authorities, Service Providers, Hospitals, Professional Institutes, Real Estate, Pharmaceuticals, Finance Companies and Construction.

Nadhiya Najab, has over seven years of research experience in the areas of post-war resettlement, labour and livelihoods, and employability of vocational training graduates. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, Nadhiya has conducted research and project evaluations in the Northern and Eastern regions as well as elsewhere in Sri Lanka. She has contributed to a number of CEPA publications including publishing a working paper on the political economy of beedi rollers in Sri Lanka. Prior to joining the research team full-time, Nadhiya was a core member of the communication team at CEPA.  Nadhiya has a Masters in Development Studies from the University of Colombo, complementing her Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Bachelor’s degree in Communication with a minor in International Studies from Monash University in Malaysia.

Areas of interest: Post-War Development and Livelihoods, Understanding Determinants of Labour Force Participation and Impact Evaluations of Development Interventions. 

Dr. Sisira Pinnawala is a retired University academic. He completed his undergraduate education at the University of Peradeniya in 1974 and joined the academic staff of the Department of Sociology as an Assistant Lecturer in 1975. Dr. Pinnawala has a Master’s Degree in Human Settlements Development Planning from the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok in and obtained his Ph.D. in Sociology from the Australian National University in Canberra. From August 1993 to July 1994. Dr.  Pinnawala was a Senior Fulbright Research Fellow in the Peace Studies Program of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies at Cornell University. He has also served as Director of the Sri Lanka Foundation in Colombo from 2003 to 2005.

After retirement from the University Service in 2016 Dr. Pinnawala was appointed as Academic Consultant of the newly established Postgraduate Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (PGIHSS) of the University of Peradeniya where he served for two years.  He also has served as consultant to number of national and international organizations including the World Bank and the Asian Development. Dr. Pinnawala’s research interests are Ethnic Conflict, Peace building and reconciliation, Human rights, Poverty and Social Protection.

Sirimal Abeyratne obtained his PhD in Economics from the Free University of Amsterdam, Master’s degree in Development Studies from the International Institute of Social Studies (IISS) in the Hague and the Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Colombo. Prior to joining CEPA, he has served as an academic staff member of the Department of Economics of the University of Colombo and, retired from the University. His teaching and research activities covering a wide area of subjects, under Macroeconomics, International Economics and Development Economics. During his academic career running over 35 years, Sirimal has also served as a researcher and a consultant to several international organizations such as ADB, ILO, UNDP, JICA, JBIC and World Bank, local and international research institutes, government agencies and corporate sector organizations in Sri Lanka. He has authored a series of publications as books, book chapters and journal articles, while continued to be a newspaper columnist for the “Sunday Times” newspaper in Sri Lanka.

Areas of interest:  Policy reforms, Development issues including crises, poverty, conflicts, Trade and export promotion, Social protection and access to basic services