Professor Maneesha S. Wanasinghe-Pasqual

Professor Maneesha S. Wanasinghe-Pasqual is a Professor of International Relations at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, specialising in conflict analysis, human security, and non- traditional security studies. She holds a PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, USA, and a Master of Arts in International Peace Studies from the Joan B. Kroc Institute at the University of Notre Dame, USA, which she attended on a Fulbright Junior Scholarship.

With over twenty years in academia, she currently serves as Coordinator of the MPhil/PhD Programme in International Relations and Course Director of the MA in International Relations at the University of Colombo, and as a Visiting Professor at the University of Warsaw, Poland. She previously served as Head of the Department of International Relations and Deputy Director (Learning Resources) of the Cyber Campus, University of Colombo. Her research focuses on the intersection of conflict and non-traditional security, encompassing peace studies, human security, international humanitarian law, and maritime security.

She has authored books, book chapters, and peer-reviewed articles published in journals including PLoS ONE and the Sri Lanka Journal of International Relations, and through Routledge and the University of Colombo Press. She has consulted for UN Women and served on national policy committees in Sri Lanka. Professor Wanasinghe-Pasqual is a recipient of awards from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Swedish Research Council, and the US Embassy, Colombo, and is currently the Honorary Secretary of the Centre for Development, Research, and Intervention (CDRI Sri Lanka).