Dr. Mallika Joseph  assumes duties as  seventh Executive Director of RCSS with effect from 1 January 2012.   Mallika has worked on various issues relating to South Asian security and her areas of interest include human security, security sector reform, international organized crime, international terrorism, Left Extremism, improvised explosive devices, small arms and light weapons. She specializes on security sector reform (SSR) and is one of the 24 experts who were inducted into the UN Roster of SSR Experts in 2009. In 2007 and in 2006, she was part of the DFID high-level technical team that offered consultancy for broad- based SSR engagement in Guyana; the mission resulted with the SSR Action Plan being tabled in the Guyanese Parliament and passed unanimously. In 2009, she also received the prestigious UK Chevening Fellowship which enabled her to undergo a 12 week training program/fellowship from January – April 2009 at the National Policing Improvement Agency at Bramshill, UK, on the subject on international organized crime. Between January and September 2011, she was based in Geneva working with the International Security Sector Advisory Team (ISSAT) of the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) overseeing, designing, and delivering SSR training.

Mallika has a PhD in International Relations. She has co-authored three books, Small Arms and the Security Debate in South Asia; Anti-Personnel Landmines: A South Asian Regional Survey; and Lethal Fields: Landmines and Improvised Explosive Devices in South Asia and was a regular contributor to the Landmine Monitor for the country sections on South Asian countries. She has also co-edited Reintroducing Human Security in South Asia, Consolidating Peace in Jammu and Kashmir, Terrorism and its repercussions on International Politics and Missing Boundaries: Refugees, Migrants, Stateless and Internally Displaced Persons in South Asia.  (Download the Complete CV)  

 Chamindai joined  as the Associate Director of the RCSS in December 2010. Chaminda is a B.Sc. (Engineering) graduate from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. He has an MBA from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore, Pakistan, and an MBA (International Management) from the Graduate School of Esslingen University of Applied Sciences (FHTE), Esslingen, Germany. He also completed a MA degree in Peace and Development Studies at the University of Jaume1, Castellon, Spain.

Before joining the RCSS, Chaminda served as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, and as a lecturer at the University of Moratuwa and University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. He is also a visiting lecturer for MBA programs in Sri Lanka and overseas. He has 15 years of experience in the industry, academia, research and consultancy in several countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. His current research interests include: role of ICTs in human development in South Asia, Web 2.0 technologies for political campaigning and Future Oriented Technology Analysis(FTA) for South Asia.  (Download Complete CV -  bit.ly/mlryaQ)

The RCSS serves as the South Asian regional secretariat for a global network of civil society organizations – Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC).   Nadeeka  took over as the Regional Liaison Officer for GPPAC (RLO-GPPAC) South Asia in October 2011. She  joined the RCSS as its Programme Officer in March 2010. Prior to joining the RCSS, she was an Associate Research Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, where she undertook research related to militant groups in South Asia and strategies on counter insurgency and counter terrorism. She obtained her BA in Political Science and South Asian Studies from the National University of Singapore and M.Sc in Strategic Studies from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

Suranthi  joined the RCSS as Programme Officer in May 2011. Prior to this appointment, she was attached to the UNDP Support to Mine Action Project in the capacity of a Project Assistant. Suranthi also worked at the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS) as an Asst. Editor cum Information Officer, immediately prior to joining the UNDP. She obtained her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the Institute of Technological Studies in Sri Lanka and M.A in Communication Studies from the University of South Dakota in the United States.

 Kamani has served as the Librarian of the RCSS since March 2001. She has nearly 25 years of professional experience in major research institutes in Sri Lanka. She has presented a number of papers at digital library conferences and is a contributor to international library journals. Ms. Perera has undergone training on new Information technologies at the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand, and obtained military library training at the National Defense University, Washington DC, USA. She is an Associate Member of the Sri Lanka Library Association; Associate Network Member of the Digital Curation Centre, United Kingdom; and Professional Development Fund member of the International Institute for Conservation (IIC), United Kingdom.  Kamani is maintaining a  blog on Strategic Studies at  kamani-strategicstudies.blogspot.com/

 

 Dilkie  has served the RCSS as its Finance and Administrative Officer (FAO) since 1994. She is CIMA Qualified and a summer alumni of Cornell University, Ithaca. Dilkie has international work experience at the Abu Dhabi Sheraton Hotel, Christensen Al Mansoori (Oil Field Drilling Equipment & Service provider), International Computers Ltd and Protech (Fuion Bonded Epoxy Coating) in the UAE.

Dharshani has served as the Secretary of the RCSS since 1996. She is a BA graduate from the University of Colombo and has obtained the Post Graduate Diploma in International Relations from the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS), Colombo, Sri Lanka.  Dharshani is also trained in Computer Programming, Gemology, Secretarial Practice and Labor Management.

Mahendran has served as the Office Assistant of the RCSS since 1998.  Mahendran speaks Tamil, Sinhala and English, and efficiently carries out many tasks vital to the smooth functioning of the centre.