Wasantha Athukorala holds a doctorate in Economics from Queensland University of Technology, Australia, an MPhil. and a B.A. (Honours) in Economics from the University of Peradeniya, where he is working as a Professor in Economics. In addition, he has completed more than 20 short courses in various countries around the world, including the United States, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Australia, Thailand, India, Nepal, and Bhutan. His research focuses on Environmental Economics, Agricultural Economics, Development Economics, Transport Economics and Sustainable Development. He has over 40 research papers published in prestigious national and international journals such as Energy Economics, Education Sciences, Empirical Economics, Land Use Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Journal of Forest Economics, Sustainable Cities and Society, The Singapore Economic Review, Journal of Agricultural Economics, The Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Hydrogeology Journal, Energy Economics, Economic Analysis and Policy, Journal of Resources, Energy, and Development, Ecologies and Journal of Smart Economic Growth. He is a co-author of five textbooks and the author of two. He has authored seven book chapters and presented over 45 research papers at national and international conferences. Despite his broad research interests, he is particularly interested in empirical work on development issues and has made a number of significant contributions in this area. His work has had and continues to have a significant impact on policy decisions in Sri Lanka. Wasantha Athukorala has been named the 2nd best economist in Sri Lanka by the Global AD Scientific Index – 2021 and 2022. Given his overall research profile, he has been categorized in the top most research category (Tier 4*) by the University of Peradeniya in 2022. This is the highest award (a lifetime award) that is given to a scholar in the country after evaluating his/her research contributions. He has served as a committee member for preparing various policy documents in Sri Lanka. Some of these committees, members were directly appointed by the Sri Lankan Presidential Office. He also has been working as a consultant on various projects funded by ILO, UNDP, and World Bank.