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shavindree.n@sliit.lk

Ms. Shavindree Nissanka

Senior Lecturer

Faculty of Engineering | Quantity Surveying

Career Summary

  • Shavindree Nissanka was a doctoral researcher affiliated to the Global Disaster Resilience Centre (GDRC), University of Huddersfield, UK and submitted her PhD on the use of Financial Incentives for promoting Disaster Resilient Housing.
  • She obtained her first degree in Quantity Surveying from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, and She is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (ACMA, CGMA) and a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) UK.
  • She worked as the lead researcher for the research collaboration BEACON (Built Environment Learning for Climate Adaptation), co-funded by the EU Erasmus programme.
  • She has also contributed to other research initiatives led by GDRC in the fields of built environment learning for climate adaptation and disaster resilience in smart cities and infrastructure resilience such as developing disaster resilient building codes for Sri Lanka, Development of the Standard Operating Procedures for the Tsunami Early warning system in Sri Lanka and developing a guide for built environment professionals done by GDRC and Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
  • She has presented her work at many international conferences and also has published in the research areas of Disaster Resilient Properties: Built Environment Discourse, disaster Resilient Building Codes in Sri Lanka, Employment challenges in mega construction projects in Sri Lanka and Integration of the Concept of Disaster Resilience for Sustainable Construction.
  • She recently guest edited a special issue on “Climate change adaptation in the built environment” in the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment.
  • In the year 2023 Shavindree Nissanka has been named as one of the Women of the Future 50 rising stars in Environmental, Social and Governance.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

  • ·PhD in Disaster Resilience (Thesis Submitted to Registry), April 2019- November 2024, PhD title: Financial Incentives as a Strategy to Promote Disaster Resilience in the Housing Sector, Institution: Global Disaster Resilience Centre, University of Huddersfield
  •  The Higher Education PgCert at the University of Huddersfield, UK (September 2023-August 2025)
  • B.Sc. (Hons) in Quantity Surveying from University of Moratuwa Sri Lanka -GPA 3.95 (First Class Hons.) in 2017
  • Professional Qualification in Management Accountancy (ACMA, CGMA), in 2018 Associate Member of The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants- CIMA UK.

  • Finalist at the Financial Accountancy from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) UK in 2018

HONOURS AND AWARDS

  • ·Listed as one of the Women of the Future 50 rising stars in ESG in 2023:This celebrates female trailblazers and role models aged 35 and under from around the world who are at the forefront of working in ESG: Environmental, Social and Governance. To be selected to be part of this prestigious global list, participants must have made a lasting and positive impact on their organisations, the environment and broader society. Trailblazing PhD researcher joins global list of rising stars - University of Huddersfield Organised by TESCO, PWC and Group m, supported by CNBC, Financial Times, University of Oxford and Said Business School.

 

  • Runners up, International Competition for Imagining Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, organized by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. :This competition aimed to engage, inspire, and invigorate the young minds and future change makes in the field of disaster resilient infrastructure. The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), launched by the Honourable Prime Minister of India at the Climate Action Summit in New York in 2019, is a multi-stakeholder global partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programs, multilateral development banks, the private sector, academic and knowledge institutions. Award-winning entry is available here: https://y4ri.cdri.world 

 

  • Award for the Most highly commendable paper: In the category of Finance and Risk Management at the International Sustainable Ecological Engineering Design for Society (SEEDS) Conference 2022, University of West of England (UWE), Bristol, United Kingdom on 31 August – 02 September 2022
  • Award for the best presentation: At the International Research and Innovation Symposium on Dengue amidst the pandemic: Improving preparedness and response for multi-hazard scenarios -2022, Sri Lanka on 16-17th March 2022 under the theme “Complex and interconnected multi-hazard risks: The nature of cascading impacts and relationships”.
  • First Runner up of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, Global Disaster Resilience Centre, University of Huddersfield, UK (OCTOBER 2020)
  • Full Scholarship Award : For Doctoral studies from the University of Huddersfield UK to Conduct Doctoral Studies (MARCH 2019)
  • Dean’s List Award of the Faculty of Architecture, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, for all eight semesters during the four-year degree period for achieving a higher semester grade point average equivalent of more than 3.80.

Research Interests and Memberships

Research Interests

Research interests

  • Climate Change Adaptation
  • Construction Management
  • Disaster Risk Reduction in the Built Environment
  • Disaster Resilient Building Codes
  • Infrastructure Resilience
  • Financial Incentives and Enablers
  • Post-disaster reconstruction
  • Nature Based Solutions and Bio-mimicry concepts
  • Business Continuity Planning

Invited speeches

·       Invited Speaker of the Pre-Conference Webinar: Strategic Disaster Risk Reduction Towards Climate and Environmental Resilience; Thushara Kamalrathne (Invited speaker), Georgina Clegg (Invited speaker), Shavindree Nissanka (Invited speaker) & Asitha De Silva (Invited speaker) on 11th August 2023

·       One of the Speakers at the SURGE-CRS joint workshop on Current Challenges and Future Opportunities, organised by the University of Huddersfield on the 14th of September 2023.

·       Plenary presentation at the International Symposium on Tackling Climate Change as an Underlying Disaster Risk Driver, 26 – 27 June 2023, on the theme “Key findings of the Built Environment Learning for Climate Adaptation Research Project”.

·        One of the Speakers on the theme “Roles and Responsibilities of Built Environment Stakeholders in Climate Change Adaptation” at the International Workshop on the Construction Industry and the Built Environment - and Climate Change Adaptation in Malta. (The Minister for Public Works and Planning Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi opened the Workshop with a keynote presentation. It included key presentations by international partners from the University of Huddersfield project leader, University of Malta, University of Moratuwa-NDT, University of Colombo, UC University of Cantabria Spain, and University of Lund Sweden. Leading entities in Malta presented their strategic action on Climate Change Adaptation in the Built Environment: Building and Construction Authority, Building Industry Consultative Council, Ministry for Energy and Enterprise, Environment and Resources Authority, Infrastructure Malta, Malta Council for Economic and Social Development, Malta Climate Action Board, Malta Chamber of Commerce, Nature Trust Malta, MCCM, Professionals and Academia).

 

Invited international Panel leadership/moderator roles, a panellist of international panels.

·       Panellist at the Panel discussion on “How can we adapt the built environment to mitigate the effects of climate change during design, construction, and retrofitting?” at the 13th International Conference on Sustainable Built Environment 2022 (ICSBE) from 16-18th December 2022.

·        One of the Speakers on “Review on climate change impacts in the coastal regions” at the Round Table discussion on “Climate Change and its Impact on the Built Environment” held as a part of the BEACON project on 22nd March 2022. (Colombo Sri Lanka-55 Participants)  

·       Co-Chaired the Session on “Communicating Climate Change Adaptation and Climate Change Education” at the International Research Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation in the Coastal Built Environment, to be held at IH Cantabria (Santander) on 19 and 20 June 2023.

·       One of the Speakers on the theme “Roles and Responsibilities of Built Environment Stakeholders in Climate Change Adaptation” at the International Validation workshop on the Role of Built Environment Stakeholders in Climate Change Adaptation in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Monday, 13th March 2023.

·       Participated in a Collaboration workshop and training sessions at the Centre for Disaster Management Research, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University in Sri Lanka.

·       One of the Speakers on “Review on climate change impacts in the coastal regions” at the Round Table discussion on “Climate Change and its Impact on the Built Environment” held as a part of the BEACON project on 22nd March 2022. (Colombo Sri Lanka-55 Participants)

·       One of the Speakers on “Review on climate change impacts in the coastal regions” at the Stakeholder Seminar on “Climate Change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; The Case for Policy Coherence” held as a part of the BEACON project on 11th February 2022. (Virtual seminar via Zoom-95 Participants)

·       One of the Session Facilitators at the Business Continuity Training - Aitken Spence PLC on the topic of “The Business Case for Disaster Risk Reduction Private sector’s/businesses engagement in the implementation of DRR initiatives” on 21st March 2022.

Editorial and Refereeing Activities

  • Provided input as a reviewer for the journal manuscript " Evolutionary Resilience in the Housing Sector: Requirements Proposal" for the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment.
  • ·Provided input as a reviewer for the journal manuscript " A Pathway Toward Urban Resilience: Investigating Green Open Space Priority to Mitigate Urban Heat Island Phenomenon in Samarinda City, Indonesia”.
  • Provided input as a reviewer for the journal manuscript " Study of spatial peri-urban villages organisation affected by urbanisation the case of Lai Yen village, Hoai Duc, Hanoi”.
  • Provided input as a reviewer for the journal manuscript " Climate Changes Impact on sea-level in Coastal Area: Case Study of Mehdya Shoreline in Morocco”.
  • Provided input as a reviewer for the journal manuscript " Towards Resilient Development in Rural Area: Some Strategic Recommendations based on Contextual Findings in Bhokardan Block, Jalna”.
  • Provided input as a reviewer for the journal manuscript " Inclusive Planning for Climate Change Resilient Cities”.
  • Provided input as a reviewer for the journal manuscript " Resilience Assessment of Healthcare Facilities within Urban Context: Learning from a Non-profit Hospital in Tehran, Iran”.
  • Provided input as a reviewer for the journal manuscript " Resilience in Urban Areas – Developing a Resilience Framework to Strengthen the Resilience of Residential Buildings in Medellín, Colombia”.
  • Provided input as a reviewer for the journal manuscript " Evolutionary resilience in the housing sector: requirements proposal”.

Memberships

  • Associate Member of The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants- CIMA UK,(ACMA, CGMA)
  • Finalist at the Financial Accountancy from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
  • Graduate Member- Institute of Quantity Surveyors Sri Lanka (IQSSL)

Ongoing Research

  • Co- Project Lead for the University of Huddersfield Public Engagement Project Saving Your Business from The Next Disaster! - Developing A Localised Business Management Toolkit for Small to Medium Scale Business Enterprises in Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. Developing the project concept, applying for the competitive bid for the SEEDs fund, securing the project bid, handling and leading everything from project conceptualisation, planning, designing, implementation and reporting. (Conducted 5 community level public engagement workshops in Sri Lanka on business continuity planning with Small to Medium Scale Business stakeholders) (May 2024- to date).
  • Co-project lead for the project “Biomimicry for Flood Resilience: Better Integration of Green and Blue Infrastructure for Restoring the Natural Hydrological Processes within the Built Environment”.  Developing the project concept, handling and leading everything from project conceptualisation to implementation. (January 2024- to date).

My Publications

Book Chapters

Journal Publications

Conference Proceedings

Books

  • Maria Merino Gonzalez-Pardo, Ignacio Aguirre Ayerbe, Shavindree Nissanka & Chamindi Malalgoda  " International Research Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation in the Coastal Built Environment." IHCantabria. Universidad De Cantabria. Santander, Spain,  International Research Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation in the Coastal Built Environment,  2025,      
  • Dilanthi Amaratunga (Editor), Richard Haigh (Editor), Chrishani Shavindree Nissanka Arachchige (Editor), Craig Ross (Editor), Martin Conlon, Ranjith Dissanayake (Editor), Sarah Crouch (Editor)  " Rethinking Construction to Reduce Disaster Risks: A Guide for Built Environment Professionals." London,  Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors,  2022,      

Conference Presentations

  • Nissanka, S., Amaratunga, D., & Haigh , R.  " Investing in Disaster Resilient Infrastructure through Private Public Partnerships in Developing Countries  Presentation,  at Postgraduate Research Conference on Sustainable Development at University of Huddersfield UK,   2025
  • Nissanka, S., Amaratunga, D., & Haigh , R  " Disaster Resilient Building Codes in Sri Lanka.  Presentation,  at 10th International Conference on Structural Engineering and Construction Management (ICSECM), Kandy, Sri Lanka,   2019
  • Nissanka, S., Amaratunga, D., & Haigh , R  " Investing in Disaster Risk Reduction: Case for the Private Sector  Presentation,  at 9th International Conference on Building Resilience in Bali, Indonesia ,   2020
  • Nissanka, S., Malalgoda, C., Amaratunga, D., & Haigh, R.  " Climate change impacts on the coastal built environment.  Presentation,  at 5th Global Summit of GADRI: Engaging Sciences with Action.,   2021
  • Nissanka, S., Malalgoda, C., Amaratunga, D., & Haigh, R.  " Climate change impact on coastal built environment: UK Study  Presentation,  at ICON Arts 2021 - 7th International Conference on Humanities and Social Science, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka,   2021
  • Shavindree Nissanka, Chamindi Malalgoda, Dilanthi Amaratunga, Richard Haigh  " Climate Change Impacts on Coastal Regions in the UK: A Review  Presentation,  at International Conference on Geography and Global Sustainability,Sri Lanka,   2021
  • Nissanka, S., Malalgoda, C., Amaratunga, D., & Haigh, R.  " Opportunities and Constraints for Integrating the Requirements of the Paris Agreement with The SDGS and The Sendai Framework in the Context of Built Environment in the UK  Presentation,  at 13th International Conference on Sustainable Built Environment 2022 (ICSBE), Kandy, Sri Lanka.,   2022
  • Nissanka, S., Amaratunga, D., & Haigh , R.  " Financial Incentives as a strategy to promote disaster-resilient housing  Presentation,  at International Sustainable Ecological Engineering Design for Society (SEEDS) Conference 2022, University of West of England (UWE), Bristol, United Kingdom ,   2022
  • Nissanka, S., Malalgoda, C., Amaratunga, D., & Haigh, R.  " Impact of biological hazards on climate change  Presentation,  at DENGUE AMIDST THE PANDEMIC Conference,   2022
  • Nissanka, S., Amaratunga, D., & Haigh , R.  " Incentives and enablers as a governance mechanism for implementing disaster risk management  Presentation,  at . UK Alliance for Disaster Research Annual Conference 2022,   2022
  • Nissanka, S., Amaratunga, D., & Haigh , R.  " Integration of Circular Economic Concepts within a Disaster Resilient Housing Sector.  Presentation,  at International Conference on Building Resilience in Tropical Argo-Eco Systems, Colombo, Sri Lanka,   2023
  • Nissanka, S., Dilanthi, A., & Raigh, H.  " Financial incentives as a strategy to promote Disaster-resilient housing  Presentation,  at International Symposium on Tackling Climate Change as an Underlying Disaster Risk Driver, University of Huddersfield, UK,   2023

Phone

+94 11 754 4801

Email

info@sliit.lk

Address

New Kandy Road, Malabe

We are a leading non-state higher education institute approved by the Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission (UGC). Additionally, we are members of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and the International Association of Universities (IAU). Our Civil and Mechanical engineering degrees are recognized by IESL, Sri Lanka. SLIIT is the first Sri Lankan institute to be accredited by the Institution of Engineering & Technology, UK. We've been ranked 8th in Sri Lanka and emerged as the number 1 non-state higher education institution in Sri Lanka.

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