Chethika Gunasiri Wadumestrige Dona is a JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellow jointly affiliated with UNU-IAS and the University of Tokyo.
In her current role as a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Gunasiri is exploring the potential of urban agriculture as a decentralized wastewater management strategy in underserved urban settlements. Her broader research interests include green spaces and human well-being, nature-based solutions for sustainable cities, urban water resource management, the Water-Energy-Food nexus and urban responses to climate change. She earned her doctoral degree in Sustainability Science from UNU-IAS, where she examined urban agriculture as a long-term strategy for open space management in developing countries.
Prior to joining UNU-IAS, Dr. Gunasiri worked for nearly a decade as an Environmental Scientist at the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation, where she specialized in urban wetland and water resource management. She played a key role in developing the Colombo Wetland Management Strategy and preparing Colombo’s application for Ramsar Wetland City Accreditation. She also served as the South Asia Regional Representative of the Wetland Link International – Asia Steering Group and was a member of the National Invasive Species Specialist Group of Sri Lanka. Additionally, she has served as a visiting lecturer at the University of Colombo.
Research Interests
- Cities and climate change
Green spaces and human well-being
Urban nature-based solutions
Water resilient cities