Ms. Eranga Dissanayake is a distinguished academic and legal professional with a remarkable track record of achievements and contributions to the field of law. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) degree from the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo, earned in 2020. During her undergraduate studies, she excelled academically and was awarded the N. Selvakumaran Gold Medal for being the “Most Outstanding Student of the Faculty of Law” at the General Convocation 2020. She also received the Gold Medal of the “Canekaratne Prize for General Merit,” recognizing her as the best student from the entire University of Colombo for her excellence in academics, sportsmanship, leadership, research, and extracurricular activities. In 2019, Ms. Dissanayake was part of the University of Colombo team that won the National Championship Award at the Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competition on International Humanitarian Law, organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Ms. Dissanayake pursued her professional legal education at Sri Lanka Law College and was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2022. She is currently reading for her Master of Laws degree at the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo. Her commitment to continuous learning is demonstrated by her completion of eight diplomas in various fields of law, including Commercial Law, Human Rights and Democracy, Diplomacy and World Affairs, International Relations, and Human Resource Management.

Ms. Dissanayake has served as a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Environmental Law and Policy, University of Colombo and was a member of the Editorial Board of the South Asian Journal of Environmental Law and Policy. She has contributed as a researcher to two national research projects: National Research on Language Rights, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Project, and the Regional Agreement on Climate Change Laws; Sri Lankan Chapter. Additionally, she is the founder and founding president of the EarthMates Foundation, a youth organization dedicated to environmental conservation in Sri Lanka. She has been a resource person and guest speaker for various institutes and organizations, including American Spaces, Sri Lanka.

Before joining NSBM, Ms. Dissanayake gained professional experience as a legal practitioner at the chamber of Mr. Saliya Pieris, the former President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka. She also served as an academic at the Centre for the Study of Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Colombo, where she worked as a research assistant, legal intern, and visiting lecturer. She has experience of lecturing at the Department of Legal Studies, Open University of Sri Lanka for nearly two years.