M. B. Ranathilaka holds a doctorate in Agricultural Economics from Kagoshima University, Japan, and M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from Saga University, Japan, and M.Phil and a B.A. (Honours) in Economics from the University of Peradeniya, where he is working as a Professor in Economics. His research mainly includes in the field of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Marketing, Rural Development, Rural Institutions and Poverty. He has published more than 20 research papers in well-known international journals which include International Journal of Agricultural Research, Asia-Pacific Journal of Rural Development, Journal of Business and Finance in Emerging Markets, Journal of Rural Economics, Review of Agricultural Economics, Review of Behavioral Aspect in Organizations and Society and Journal of Smart Economic Growth. He is the author of four text books and the co-author of a book. He has published 5 book chapters and presented more than 30 research papers in national and international conferences. He has worked as Research Assistant as well as Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Agricultural Economics Lab, Saga University, Japan during his postgraduate studies. Furthermore, he was awarded an Erasmus Mundus Postdoc fellowship by the European Union's Erasmus Mundus programme to the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
