Rotary World Peace Fellow (RWPF) Sanjana Hattotuwa from Sri Lanka graduated from UQ’s Master of International Studies (Advanced) program in 2005.

Sanjana is presently engaged as a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Policy Alternatives, based in Colombo, where he works primarily as a communications expert.

He provides input into the organisation’s interactions with the media, which in the present context of Sri Lanka is a complex endeavour fraught with many challenges, given the dramatic increase in the killings of civil society rights activists and the threats directed against non-governmental organisations and humanitarian aid workers.

“Coming into the UQ program as a practitioner who had learnt the tools of peacebuilding by practice and application in a real world situation, the complexity of peacebuilding and the frustrations and dangers therein were well known,” Sanjana said.

“However, the UQ program gave me the opportunity to flesh out my thinking on various aspects of peacebuilding by testing it against well-established theories of conflict resolution and peacebuilding, and also through conversations and interactions with the Faculty at UQ.”

In his role with the Centre for Policy Alternatives, Sanjana provides input into the design and application of media initiatives that attempt to strengthen professional standards in all media in Sri Lanka.

He has been responsible for several groundbreaking initiatives using information and communications technology for peacebuilding in Sri Lanka.

His research output during his time at UQ as a RWPF is now quoted in academic journals and recognised globally as the foundation for a new field of study - ICT4Peace.

“This solid foundation would not have been possible without the RWPF and is its key strength, as well from the perspective of someone who comes into academia with significant experience from the field,” he said.