Six researchers from the latest intake at the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS) have won scholarships for postgraduate study at leading international universities, the think tank said.

“The IPS congratulates its scholarship winners on their outstanding achievements and looks forward to their further contribution in strengthening national capacity in economic policy analysis,” the institute said.

Where they are going

Suresh Ranasinghe joined the IPS with a first-class BA in Economics from the University of Colombo and an LLB from the Open University of Sri Lanka. He won a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship in 2022/23 for an MSc in Development Economics at the University of Nottingham, and has been awarded a fully funded studentship for a PhD in Economics at Nottingham Trent University from October 2025. His research covers health, education and labour policy.

Usha Perera holds a first-class BA in Economics from the University of Colombo and won a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship in 2023/24 for an MSc in Economics at the University of Leeds. She has secured funding from the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council for a PhD in Economics at Lancaster University beginning October 2026.

Chandula Idirisinghe joined with a BSc (Hons) in Agricultural Technology and Management from the University of Peradeniya and completed a Master of Agricultural Economics at the university’s Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture. He has gained admission to the University of Guelph in Canada on a fully funded scholarship for a PhD in Management from September 2026, working on agriculture and agribusiness development policy.

Himani Vithanage joined as a Saman Kelegama Research Grant awardee, holding a first-class BA in Economics from the University of Colombo and a first-class BSc in Economics and Finance from the London School of Economics. She has won a Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship 2026 and a place at the University of Oxford for an MSc in Economics for Development from September 2026.

Chaya Dissanayake joined with a BSc (Hons) in Agriculture from the University of Jaffna. Her work at the IPS on disaster risk preparedness leads to an MSc in Risk and Disaster Science at University College London from September 2026, as a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship 2026 winner.

Dinithi Athulathmudali, also a Saman Kelegama Research Grant awardee, holds a first-class BA in Economics from the University of Colombo and has focused on health, education and labour policy. She has been awarded a Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship 2026 and admission to the University of Oxford for an MSc in Economics for Development from September 2026.

The IPS is Sri Lanka’s principal autonomous economic policy research institute. The Saman Kelegama Research Grant is named after the institute’s long-serving executive director, who died in 2017.