BIOGRAPHY

Associate Professor Anoma Ariyawardana is Program Director for the Bachelor of Agribusiness and Diploma of Business courses at Leaders Institute. She has over three decades of experience in agribusiness research, research supervision, higher education teaching, and international collaboration. At Leaders Institute, she serves as a member of Academic Board and Chair of Research and Scholarship Committee. She is also a member of Learning and Teaching Committee and Examiners Committee. Associate Professor Ariyawardana previously held the position of Senior Lecturer in Agribusiness at the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia. In 2019, she became a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK. Prior to her tenure in Australia, she contributed to the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.

Associate Professor Ariyawardana has been honored with prestigious Fulbright and Endeavour Research Fellowships, conducting agribusiness research at esteemed institutions such as Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey, USA, the University of Queensland, Australia, and the University of Kent, UK, where she served as a Visiting Research Fellow. Her extensive publication record includes contributions to high-ranking journals, and she has supervised numerous undergraduate and postgraduate research projects, including PhDs.

Highlighting diverse, global engagement, Associate Professor Ariyawardana has conducted research in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, the UK, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. Furthermore, she has supervised student research projects originating from countries including Australia, Pakistan, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Kenya, Ghana, Zambia, Fiji, and Nepal. Notably, she has collaborated with esteemed institutions such as the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), where she was involved in analysing the Australian agribusiness’ response to climate change. She has contributed to projects supported by the Australian Council for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), focusing on enhancing horticulture value chains and augmenting returns for smallholder farmers in the Philippines.

QUALIFICATIONS

Doctor of Philosophy, Massey University, New Zealand, 2002
Master of Science (Agriculture – Specialised in Agricultural Economics) University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 1997
Graduate Certificate in Higher Education, University of Queensland, Australia, 2017

Bachelor of Science (Agriculture) University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 1992

Licentiate Part I and II, Institute of Chartered Accountants, Sri Lanka, 1989-1990

ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP

• Member, Academic Board

• Chair, Research and Scholarship Committee

• Member, Examiners Committee

RECOGNITIONS

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK, 2019.

• Finalist – Faculty of Science Awards 2018 and 2019. Leadership and Mentoring (Academic Level C and above) category, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Queensland, Australia.

COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

• Member, Association of Sri Lankan Agriculture and Veterinary Science Graduates in Queensland. 2012 – current.