Academic and Professional Qualifications
Biography
I am a Senior Lecturer attached to the Department of Agricultural Economics and Business Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. I received my Bachelor’s in Agricultural Technology and Management (Specialized in Agricultural Economics and Business Management) from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya in 2009. Afterward, I received my Masters in Agricultural Economics from the Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya in 2011. I received my second Masters in Applied Economics from Oregon State University, USA in 2013. I completed my Ph.D. in Applied Economics from Oregon State University, USA in 2017. My current research interests include Quantitative Policy Analysis, Trade and Development, Econometrics and Statistics and Applied General Equilibrium Modeling. I have worked and working on several projects involving food security, sustainable development, trade policies, and quantitative policy analysis. My teaching involves both undergraduate and postgraduate classes in Agricultural Economics and Business Management.
Academic and Professional Qualifications
- PhD in Applied Economics (Oregon State University, USA)
- MS in Applied Economics (Oregon State University, USA)
- MS in Agricultural Economics (Post Graduate Institute of Agriculture, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka)
- BS in Agricultural Technology and Management (Faculty of Agriculture, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka)
Appointments
- Senior Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Economics and Business Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka from 14th May 2017 to Present.
- Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Economics and Business Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka from 14th May 2012 to 13th May 2017.
- D. Barton DeLoach Distinguished Graduate Research Fellow, Department of Applied Economics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, USA from 1st October 2016 to 30th June 2017.
- Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Applied Economics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, USA from 1st October 2013 to 30th June 2016.
- Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Applied Economics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, USA from 1st October 2011 to 15th June 2013.
- Assistant Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Economics and Business Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka from 6th May 2009 to 31st August 2011.
Teaching Experience
I have been teaching and evaluating students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level for the courses listed below for more than five years
Undergraduate
- EB 2101: Principles of Economics
- EB 3202: Microeconomics
- EB 3207: Advanced Development Economics
- EB 4104: Resource and Environmental Economics
- EB 4109: Advanced Project Analysis
- EX/EB 3201: Socio-Economic Aspects of Natural Resource Management
Graduate
- EC 5223: Econometrics II
- BM 5115: Supply Chain and Logistic Management
- EC 5102: Mathematical Economics
- EC 5114: Quantitative Methods
- EC 5221: Environmental Valuation
ACADEMIC DISTINCTIONS & AWARDS
Prizes and Awards
- D. Barton DeLoach Distinguished Graduate Fellowship in Economics for Outstanding Graduate Student in the Program at the Oregon State University.
- Eric Englund Memorial Postgraduate Scholarship for Excellence in Graduate Studies at the Oregon State University.
- Membership of Phi Kappa Phi Honorary Society for Excellence in Graduate Studies at the Oregon State University.?
- Gold Medal for the Best Performance in Agricultural Economics and Business Management in the Core Program of the B.Sc. Agriculture Degree.
- Gold Medal for the Most Outstanding Performance in Agricultural Economics and Business Management.
- Gold Medal for the Best Performer in the Subject “Principles of Agribusiness Management” (AEC 2202).
- Golden Jubilee Gold Medal for the Most Outstanding Performance in the Core Program of the B.Sc. Agriculture Curriculum.
- Professor T. Jogarathnam Gold Medal for the Best Performance in Agricultural Economics and Business Management.
- E.M.R.B. Ekanayake Memorial Prize in Agriculture for the Best Overall Performance at the Final Examination in Agriculture.
- Ananda Amerasinghe Memorial Prize for the Best Performance at the Examinations Held during the Advanced Program in Agriculture.
- R.R. Appadurai Memorial Scholarship for the Best Performance at the Examinations Held during the Core Program in Agriculture.
- Upali Ekanayake Memorial Prize for the Highest Marks in all Courses Offered in Entomology in the Core Program.
- S.F.H. Perera Memorial Prize for the Greatest Competence at the Fourth Year Examinations.
- C de S.W. Siriwardena Scholarship for the Best Performance at the Farm Practice Course in the Third Year.
- Kundanmal Scholarship for Meritorious Performance at the Second Year Examinations in Agriculture.
- University Scholarship for the Best Performance at the First Year Examinations in Agriculture.
Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Dayananda D., J. Weerahewa and S.A. Weerasooriya (2023), Resource-Use Efficiency and Environmental Sustainability in the Village Tank Cascade Systems in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka: An Assessment using a Bio-Economic Model, Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 7: 1-15.
- Ranasinghe R.D.A.K., P.M. Korale-Gedara and S.A. Weerasooriya (2023), Climate Change Adaptation and Adaptive Capacities of Dairy Farmers: Evidence from Village Tank Cascade Systems in Sri Lanka, Agricultural Systems, 206: 1-11.
- Mufeeth, M., S.A. Weerasooriya and J. Weerahewa (2022), Assessing the Degree of Market Power in the Rice Milling Industry of Sri Lanka: An Application of the NEIO Approach, Studies in Microeconomics, 1-20.
- Sahibzada S., D. Hemachandra, S.A. Weerasooriya and J. Weerahewa (2021), Comparative Advantage and Policy Support for Edible Oils in South Asian Countries: A Policy Analysis Matrix, Tropical Agricultural Research, 32(4): 488-502.
- Swarnathilake C. and S.A. Weerasooriya (2021), Economy-wide Impacts of Agricultural Policy Reforms: A Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) Analysis for Sri Lanka, Tropical Agricultural Research, 32(4): 390-408.
- Dayananda D., J. Weerahewa and S.A. Weerasooriya (2021), Water Availability, Crop Choices and Profitability of Farming: A Case Study of Mahakanumulla Tank Village, Tropical Agricultural Research, 32(1): 81-94.
- Yogarajah V. and S.A. Weerasooriya (2020), Associated Farm and Farmer-Specific Factors for Climate-Smart Agriculture Adaptation in the Dry Zone: A Case from Vavuniya, Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Journal of Agricultural Economics, 21(1): 69-91.
- Sahibzada S., D. Hemachandra, S.A. Weerasooriya and J. Weerahewa (2020), Trends and Patterns of Processed Food Exports from South Asia: An Analysis of Product and Market Diversification. Tropical Agricultural Research, 31(4): 65-90.
- Sandaruwan K.P.G.L., S.A. Weerasooriya and J. Weerahewa (2020), Effects of Non-Tariff Measures on Seafood Exports from Sri Lanka: A Gravity Approach. Tropical Agricultural Research, 31(3): 11-24.
- Weerasooriya S.A. and J.J. Reimer (2020), Rural Versus Urban Areas and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 49(3): 538-557.
- Sandaruwan K.P.G.L. and S.A. Weerasooriya (2019), Non-Tariff Measures and Sustainable Development: The Case of the European Union Import Ban on Seafood from Sri Lanka, UNCTAD/ESCAP-ARTNeT, Working Paper Series, No. 185, Bangkok, Thailand.
- Reimer J.J. and S.A. Weerasooriya (2019), Macroeconomic Impacts of U.S. Farm and Nutrition Programs, Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 44(3): 624-645.
- Reimer J.J., S.A. Weerasooriya and T.T. West (2015), How Does the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Affect the United States Economy, Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 44(3): 233-252.
Book Chapters
- Weerasooriya S.A. (2022), Analyzing Trade Facilitation using Gravity Models. In “Agricultural Policy Analysis: Concepts and Tools for Emerging Economies”. Edited by J. Weerahewa and A. Jacque. Springer, Singapore.
- Weerasooriya S.A. and D. Hemachandra (2020), Empirical Applications of Theory of Firm in Agriculture Research in Sri Lanka: A Review of the Literature. In “Agricultural Research for Sustainable Food Systems in Sri Lanka Volume 2: A Pursuit for Advancements”. Edited by R.P. De Silva, G. Pushpakumara, P. Prasada and J. Weerahewa. Springer, Singapore.
