I am a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer
Economics at the University of Illinois studying Environmental Economics
and Mathematical Modeling. I started the PhD program in the Fall of 2007, and
I successfully defended my dissertation proposal in the summer of 2010. I hope
to complete my dissertation titled, "Three Essays on Conservation", by
May 2011.
My current research explores the use of dynamic and spatial mathematical models to allocate land for conservation, and non-market valuation methods to understand public preferneces for conservation and restoration. My main research interests lie in
- Dynamic aspects of conservation reserve design
- Spatial modeling of conservation land use
- Understanding preferences for conservation using Choice experiment
In addition I am also currently working on
- General equiblirium modeling of environmental taxation
- Dynamic modeling of economic systems using Stella
I have worked as the Head TA for Principles of Macroeoconomics for five years and managed a class with over 500 students and 5 TA's each year. I also served as the instructor for the Math Refresher Course for entering Masters and PhD students and was a TA for Environmental Economics. I was offered to teach my own class in Natural Resource Economics in Fall 2010 and I am looking forward to the opportunity.
I am passionate about teaching and I seek out opportunities to challenge and improve my pedagogical philosophy by both engaging in presentations and discussions, and learning from experienced educators. I completed the Graduate Teacher Certificate offered by the Center for Teaching Excellence and I am currently working on completing the Certificate in Technology-Enhanced Teaching.
I believe that service and leadership are an integral part of being an academic. As the president and former vice-president of the ACE-Graduate Student Organization I initiated events to encourage students' professional development and increase student faculty interaction. As the president of the Sri Lankan Society I am involved with fundraisning to sponsor the education of low income students in Sri Lanka. In addition I have assisted with the pERE program, Heartland Workshop and been a discussant and session chair for multiple conferences and workshops.
