Dr. Pradeep Peiris
Dr. Pradeep Peiris is Head and Senior Lecturer of the Department of Political Science and Public Policy, University of Colombo, and Director and Treasurer of the Social Scientists’ Association, Colombo. He obtained his PhD in Political Science from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2014 under the NUFU/ NOMA fellowship scheme of the University of Oslo, Norway. He is currently a Fellow in the research consortium “Reversing the Gaze: Towards Post-Comparative Area Studies, led by the Universities of Basel, Zurich, and Edinburgh, with collaborators from Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. Dr. Peiris has most recently authored the book Catch-All Parties and Party-Voter Nexus in Sri Lanka (Palgrave Macmillan) and edited the book titled Is the Cure Worse than the Disease? Reflections on COVID Governance in Sri Lanka (Centre for Policy Alternatives).
Balasingham Skanthakumar
is an editor of Polity magazine and co-convenor of the ‘Critical Agrarian Studies’ seminar at SSA. He co-edited Up-Country Tamils: Charting A New Future in Sri Lanka (2019) and Pathways of the Left in Sri Lanka (2014); edited the annual ANNI report on national human rights institutions in Asia (2013-2016); and has published on development policy; human rights; language rights; Muslim family law; plantation communities; local government; labour studies; and left history, among other interests. He read law at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London; where he also taught in the departments of law, and development studies. He has previously advocated for economic, social, and cultural rights; and been an international civil servant. He is a Council member of the Women’s Education and Research Centre (WERC) in Colombo; and was founder-director of Himal Southasian in Sri Lanka.
Ammaarah Nilafdeen
holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Applied Psychology, minoring in Philosophy from the University of Delhi, India, and recently completed a Master’s in Conflict and Peace Studies at the University of Colombo. She has worked as a researcher at the Social Scientists’ Association for over 3 years. Her current research interests are focused on exploring topics in the area of political psychology and the politicization of religion in India and Sri Lanka.
Kaushini Dammalage
Kaushini Dammalage holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Political Science and Public Policy from the University of Colombo. Currently, she is pursuing her MPhil at the University of Colombo. As a fellow of the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) International Fellows Programme for 2023, her experience significantly enhances our research work. For over six years, Kaushini has contributed to numerous research projects with the Social Scientists’ Association. Her primary research interests include gender studies, labor, peace, and reconciliation
Taniya Silvapulle
Ms. Taniya Silvapulle holds a Master’s degree in Sociology and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Economics, both from the University of Colombo. She currently serves as a senior researcher and senior project manager at the Social Scientists’ Association (SSA), where she has amassed over nine years of diverse and extensive experience in research projects. Her primary research interests lie in Political Economy.
Nuwan Walasmullage
Mr. Nuwan Walasmullage obtained his Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Political Science and Public Policy from the University of Colombo in 2016. He is currently reading for a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the Open University of Sri Lanka. He has been working as a Field Executive for the Social Scientists’ Association since 2014.
Suresh Amuhena
Mr. Suresh Amuhena obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Colombo in 2015. He has completed a Professional Diploma in Object Oriented Programming in Java and Software Application Development from the Java Institute Sri Lanka. He works as a Data Processing Executive and a Video Editor for the Social Scientists’ Association. He has more than 4 years of experience in developing web-based, educational video materials and resources for projects undertaken by the organization. His areas of interest include Online Education Development, Caste and Citizenship
Anuruddha Ishan Weerapura
obtained his Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Political Science and Public Policy from the University of Colombo in 2020. He is currently reading for his Master’s degree in Political Science at the University of Colombo. He has been working with the Social Scientists’ Association as a researcher for over 3 years. His research interests are in Citizenship, Ethnicity studies and Democracy.
Dinusha Lakmali
obtained her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Political Science & Public Policy from the University of Colombo in 2023 and currently reading for Master of Development studies at the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo. She has successfully completed an internship at the office of the Sectoral Oversight Committee, Parliament of Sri Lanka. She has been involved with the Social Scientists’ Association as a Finance & Administrative Assistant since 2023.
Binu Peiris
Sanjay Daniel Dharmavasan is a full-time researcher at the Social Scientist’s Association. He works on SSA’s magazine Polity as a writer and social media manager. Additionally, he is helping with the coordination of SSA’s incorporation into the CEU’s (Central European University) OSUN Forum on Democracy and Development residential fellowship plan. Sanjay obtained an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics (LSE) and a BA in History from King’s College London (KCL). He is primarily interested in the fields of Social and Economic Justice and making left-wing research more accessible.