CENTRE FOR A SMART FUTURE

ABOUT US

CSF is a Colombo-based think tank with researchers, advisors, and partners around the world. We conduct high quality research, promote collaboration across disciplines, and generate actionable ideas. We like being interdisciplinary and imaginative in how we think about challenges and solutions. We continually engage with a spectrum of stakeholders - from local communities to policymakers, which ensures that our research is relevant and accessible to a broad audience, while also contributing to meaningful policy change.

Our current work is anchored to influencing a just recovery from Sri Lanka multiple and overlapping crises - just by people, and just by nature. Our research has partnered organizations like Institute of Development Studies, London School of Economics, International Labour Organization, and Blue Resources Trust.

MEET THE FOUNDERS

Anushka Wijesinha | Co-founder/Director

Anushka is a Sri Lankan economist with experience in Government, international organizations, private sector and think tanks. He consults with international organizations including International Trade Centre, World Bank and ADB. He has worked on projects in Mongolia, Pakistan, Maldives, Myanmar, and Iran. He holds independent non-executive board roles at financial services firms, and at GLX, a ‘good growth’ consultancy. Anushka was a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Innovation Ecosystems and was an Asia Foundation Development Fellow at the Korea Development Institute in Seoul. Anushka holds graduate and postgraduate degrees in Economics from University College London and University of Leeds. He is an alumnus of the Harvard Kennedy School ‘Leading Economic Growth’ programme.

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Iromi Perera | Co-founder/Director

Iromi is a Colombo based researcher and activist, and works on post-war urban development and spatial justice in Sri Lanka. She is the founder and director of Colombo Urban Lab. Her research looks at the lived experiences of communities affected by large-scale infrastructure projects and development master plans, focusing on housing, livelihood, public space and social protection. She is the Asia Consultant for the Bank Information Center in Washington, D.C; an independent organisation that advocates for transparency, accountability, sustainability, and inclusion in development finance. Iromi served on the Board of Trustees of The Asia Foundation from 2019 - 2021, and currently serves on the Board of the Centre for Equality and Justice, a women’s rights organisation in Sri Lanka. In 2019, Iromi was a Commissioner on the People’s Commission on Land initiated by the People’s Alliance for Right to Land (PARL) in Sri Lanka. She has previously been a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Policy Alternatives in Sri Lanka, a Fulbright Professional Scholar and an Asia Foundation Development Fellow.

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OUR TEAM

GLOBAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

CSF’s Global Advisory Council comprises an international panel of respected personalities from diverse fields of expertise and work. They have been engaged with CSF in an independent and honorary capacity since its inception, and provide guidance on research programmes and help forge international collaborations.

OUR FOCUS THEMATIC AREAS

Equitable and Sustainable Cities

Nature
and
the Economy

Inclusive Technology
and
Innovation

Trade and
Economic Competitiveness

Responsible
and
Inclusive Finance

CENTRE FOR A SMART FUTURE
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