dr. SMS (Shyamika) Jayasundara - Smits

Her research and teaching focus on the interconnections of governance, development, violent conflict and peacebuilding. Specifically, Dr. Shyamika is interested in politics of war and peace, state building, trauma and psychosocial healing in post-war contexts, war economics, dynamics and challenges in post-war transitions, security sector reform in post-war scenarios, civil-military relations, external interventions in fragile and conflict zones, visual peace research, nexus of media and violent conflict, and gender and security.

South Asia and Sri Lanka are her main geographical specializations, but she has also developed thematic expertise on conflict and peace in other geographical areas.

She holds a PhD in development studies from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands, an MA degree in conflict transformation from Eastern Mennonite University, Virginia, USA, a Graduate Certificate on Peace Research from the University of Oslo, Norway and a BA (Hons.) in international relations from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.