Coordinator, Researcher at University of Peradeniya
Isuru Samaranayake is the founding coordinator of the Behavioural and Experimental Research Group (BERG) and a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Management, University of Peradeniya. His research focuses on prosocial motivation, organisational behaviour, and behavioural public sector research, examining how norms, incentives, identity, and institutional design influence individual and organisational performance. He is particularly interested in conducting laboratory and field experiments to generate rigorous evidence for public policy and institutional reform. He holds an MSc in Behavioural and Experimental Economics from the University of East Anglia, UK, as a Commonwealth Scholar, and an MPhil in Economics from the University of Peradeniya. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Behavioural Public Sector Economics at the University of East Anglia, further advancing his work on motivation, governance, and evidence-based policy design.
Research Identifiers
Mohamed El-Komi
Advisor, International Collaborator
University in Cairo
Member Biography
Mohamed El-Komi
Advisor, International Collaborator at University in Cairo
Dr Mohamed El-Komi is a tenured Associate Professor of Economics at The American University in Cairo (AUC) and the Founder and Director of the Behavioral and Economic Decision-Making Lab (BEDMLab). He previously served as Assistant Professor of Finance and Economics at Durham University (UK), Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, and Visiting Scholar at Rice University’s James Baker III Institute for Public Policy. His research focuses on behavioural and experimental economics, as well as Islamic finance, with particular emphasis on decision-making, institutional design, and policy-relevant applications. Dr. El-Komi has organized international conferences, guest-edited academic journal issues, and published extensively in reputable outlets. He is widely recognized as a leading figure in advancing experimental economics and strengthening behavioural research capacity across Egypt and the broader Arab region
Research Identifiers
Sheryar Banuri
Advisor, International Collaborator
University of Cambridge
Member Biography
Sheryar Banuri
Advisor, International Collaborator at University of Cambridge
Dr Sheheryar Banuri serves as Dean of College at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge, and as Associate Professor of Economics at the University of East Anglia. He is a leading scholar in behavioural development economics, specialising in human motivation and incentive design. With nearly two decades of research experience, his work focuses on human decision-making using laboratory and field experiments conducted globally. His research has informed policy design and provided guidance to governments and multilateral organisations, including the World Bank, the United Nations, and GIZ. He is a co-author of the World Bank’s World Development Report 2015: Mind, Society, and Behaviour, and the author of Good Decisions for Strange Situations and The Decisive Mind. His expertise supports BERG through strategic guidance on experimental design, behavioural interventions, and applied research in social and economic contexts.
Research Identifiers
Amir Jafarzadeh
Researcher, International Collaborator
University of East Anglia.
Member Biography
Amir Jafarzadeh
Researcher, International Collaborator at University of East Anglia.
Dr Amir Jafarzadeh is a behavioural and experimental economist holding a PhD in Energy Economics and a second PhD in Behavioural and Experimental Economics from the University of East Anglia. His research integrates experimental methods with game-theoretic models to study coordination, fairness, inequality, and strategic decision-making. He has a strong interest in behaviour under uncertainty and the interaction between humans and artificial intelligence within economic environments. Amir’s work spans behavioural economics, experimental economics, and applied microeconomics, focusing on how individuals make decisions in strategic settings and the broader implications for economic policy. Through carefully designed experiments and solid theoretical foundations, his research advances understanding of behavioural processes and contributes meaningful insights into real-world economic and institutional challenges.
Research Identifiers
Andrea Marietta Leina
Researcher, International Collaborator
University of East Anglia
Member Biography
Andrea Marietta Leina
Researcher, International Collaborator at University of East Anglia
Dr Andrea Marietta Leina is a behavioural economist holding a PhD in behavioural and experimental economics from the University of East Anglia. His research focuses on cooperation in social dilemmas and environmentally related behaviour, combining experimental methods with behavioural and game-theoretic frameworks. He studies how individuals make decisions involving public goods, environmental outcomes, and strategic interactions, with particular attention to expectations about others’ behaviour and their impact on cooperation. Andrea has a strong interest in social norms, reputation, and institutional settings shaping pro-social and pro-environmental choices. His work spans behavioural, experimental, and environmental economics, aiming to better understand key mechanisms that foster or hinder collective action. He is currently a full-time researcher in behavioural economics at the Department of Economics, University of Bologna.
Research Identifiers
Mithursan Asokkumar
Researcher
University of Peradeniya
Member Biography
Mithursan Asokkumar
Researcher at University of Peradeniya
Mithursan Asokkumar serves as a Research Assistant to the University Research Council at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. He previously worked as an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Management Studies at the Faculty of Management. His academic interests lie in behavioural and experimental research, applied economics, and organisational studies. His undergraduate research was an experimental study examining the prosocial motivation of nursing professionals and its impact on their performance in the public health sector. This research earned him the Best Undergraduate Research Paper of the Year Award, highlighting his strong foundation in empirical and experimental methods. He continues to contribute to interdisciplinary research initiatives, supporting behavioural and experimental studies that promote evidence-based decision-making and strengthen research capacity within academic and public sector institutions.
Research Identifiers
Pierce Gately
Researcher, International Collaborator
University of Peradeniya
Member Biography
Pierce Gately
Researcher, International Collaborator at University of Peradeniya
Pierce Gately is a PhD student at the Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics (CeDEx) in the University of Nottingham. His research applies experimental methods to study social dilemmas. He studies the role rules play in fostering cooperation, methods for determining the internal validity of lab-in-the-field experiments, and how misperceptions can hamper intergroup relations. Pierce has a strong interest in social norms, and how expectations about others shape outcomes in strategic interactions. He holds an MSc Quantitative Economics from University College Dublin, an MSc Economic Theory and Econometrics from Toulouse School of Economics, an MSc Cognitive and Decision Sciences from University College London (UCL), and an MRes Economics from University of Nottingham. Previously he worked as an economist in the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES).
Research Identifiers
Rakhitha Munasinghe
Researcher
University of Peradeniya
Member Biography
Rakhitha Munasinghe
Researcher at University of Peradeniya
Rakhitha Munasinghe is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Human Resource Management at the Faculty of Management, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Her academic expertise lies in organisational behaviour and industrial psychology, where she applies behavioural insights to better understand workplace dynamics, employee motivation, and effective human resource practices. Her research and teaching focus on linking behavioural theory with practical organisational challenges, contributing to the development of evidence-based HRM approaches. She holds an MBA from the University of Colombo and a BBMgt in Human Resource Management (Hons.) from the University of Kelaniya. Through her work, she seeks to enhance HRM education while strengthening behavioural understanding within organisations, promoting improved performance, employee well-being, and more effective institutional practices in both public and private sector contexts.
Research Identifiers
Sameen Tariq
Researcher, International Collaborator
University of East Anglia
Member Biography
Sameen Tariq
Researcher, International Collaborator at University of East Anglia
Sameen Tariq is a development economist and PhD candidate at the University of East Anglia, specializing in the economics of education. Her research explores how behavioural interventions and structured training programs influence decision-making, resilience, and educational outcomes, using both field and laboratory experiments. She is particularly interested in designing evidence-based policies that strengthen learning environments and support long-term human capital development. Sameen has extensive research experience in Pakistan and the United Kingdom, contributing to projects that combine rigorous empirical analysis with practical policy insights. Before starting her PhD, she worked as a Short-Term Consultant with the World Bank, a Senior Research Assistant at the Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan, and a Teaching Fellow at the Information Technology University. She currently serves as an Associate Teacher in Economics at UEA.
Research Identifiers
Sameera Fernando
Researcher
University of Peradeniya
Member Biography
Sameera Fernando
Researcher at University of Peradeniya
Sameera Fernando is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Management Studies at the Faculty of Management, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. He specialises in strategic management, leadership, and competitive analysis, applying strategic frameworks to strengthen managerial decision-making and organisational performance. His research examines organisational culture and its influence on competitive advantage in dynamic environments. His broader interests include corporate strategy, strategic alignment, performance management, and organisational sustainability in both public and private sector institutions. He holds an MBA from the University of Colombo and a BSc in Business Administration from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He is committed to advancing strategic management education and promoting evidence-based management practices within evolving organisational contexts.
Research Identifiers
Tong Fang
Researcher, International Collaborator
University of Nottingham
Member Biography
Tong Fang
Researcher, International Collaborator at University of Nottingham
Tong Fang is a PhD student at the Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics (CeDEx) at the University of Nottingham. His research focuses on behavioural and experimental economics, combining experimental methods with theoretical modelling to better understand strategic decision-making and cooperation. He studies how monetary incentives, repeated interactions, and dynamic environments influence behaviour in finitely repeated Prisoner’s Dilemma games. Tong is particularly interested in behavioural game theory and the role of learning in shaping human decisions over time. His work explores how individuals adapt their strategies through experience and feedback in strategic settings. Tong aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of cooperation, social preferences, and behavioural responses in economic interactions, with implications for both economic theory and applied behavioural research.
Research Identifiers
Udayangani Rathnayake
Researcher
University of Peradeniya
Member Biography
Udayangani Rathnayake
Researcher at University of Peradeniya
Udayangani Rathnayake is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Marketing Management at the Faculty of Management, University of Peradeniya. She specialises in marketing strategy, with particular interests in experiential marketing and emerging areas such as neuromarketing. Her research focuses on customer experience, brand development, and strategic positioning within competitive and evolving market environments. While her current work is not primarily centred on neuropsychological methods, she is keen to further explore behavioural and neuroscientific approaches to understanding consumer decision-making. Through her academic and research activities, she aims to integrate theory with practical insights, contributing to innovative, evidence-based marketing practices. Her work seeks to strengthen strategic thinking in marketing and promote adaptive approaches aligned with changing consumer behaviour and dynamic market conditions.
Research Identifiers
Udish Ranasinghe
Researcher, International Collaborator
Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia
Member Biography
Udish Ranasinghe
Researcher, International Collaborator at Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia
Dr Udish Ranasinghe is a Lecturer in Business Analytics at the Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia. His research focuses on the intersection of environmental sustainability, institutional pressures, and global value-chain participation, particularly in relation to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). He examines how participation in global value chains influences firms’ adoption of environmental management practices and how national policies, such as trade facilitation, shape these dynamics. His work often combines insights from operations management, international business, and sustainability. Ranasinghe completed his doctoral studies in Business and Management at the University of East Anglia and is a member of the Responsible Business Regulation research group. His research has been published in reputed international journals, including the International Journal of Operations & Production Management.
Research Identifiers
Ugne Salciute
Researcher, International Collaborator
Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom
Member Biography
Ugne Salciute
Researcher, International Collaborator at Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom
Ugne Salciute is a behavioural environmental economist and PhD student at Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom. Her research focuses on environmental sustainability and pathways to net zero transitions. She studies how behavioural interventions can influence environmental decision-making using laboratory and online experiments to test policy-relevant strategies. Her work combines behavioural economics and game theory to analyse how individuals respond to dynamic electricity tariffs, make electricity consumption decisions, and coordinate around renewable energy use. She is also interested in public acceptance of carbon taxation and the sustainable use of artificial intelligence in environmental policy. Ugne holds an MSc in Economics and Policy of Energy and the Environment from UCL and is an Associate Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University funded by the ESRC through the CAM-DTP Programme.
Research Identifiers
Uwin Ariyarathne
Researcher
University of Oklahoma’s Michael F. Price College of Business
Member Biography
Uwin Ariyarathne
Researcher at University of Oklahoma’s Michael F. Price College of Business
Uwin Ariyarathne is a PhD student in Finance at the University of Oklahoma’s Michael F. Price College of Business. His research focuses on empirical asset pricing, particularly how textual information and investor sentiment influence the equity risk premium, using machine learning and large-scale data. His broader interests include behavioural finance and experimental asset markets, examining how psychological biases and information processing shape financial decision-making and market outcomes. Prior to his doctoral studies, he served as a Lecturer in the Department of Business Finance at the University of Peradeniya, where he received the 2022 Teaching Excellence Award and secured multiple research grants. He completed an MSc in Finance & Accounting at Imperial College London as a Commonwealth Scholar funded by the UK government, strengthening his expertise in financial economics and quantitative analysis.
