Dr. Manoj Jinadasa has officially assumed duties as the new Head of the Department of Mass Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, effective May 20, 2025. The formal appointment was conferred by Senior Professor Nilanthi De Silva, Vice-Chancellor of the University, during a ceremony held at the Vice-Chancellor's office.
To commemorate this significant occasion, a traditional pirith chanting ceremony was held at the Department premises, with the participation of a number of Buddhist monks, including the Most Venerable Maha Thero Koswaththe Ariyawimala, as well as other high-ranking monks who serve in the University as professors and occupy leading academic and administrative positions. Academic and non-academic staff members were also present, including Professor M. M. Gunatilake, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences; Professor Sunanda Madduma Bandara, Former Vice-Chancellor; and other deans and heads from the Faculties of Medicine, Science, Commerce and Management, and Graduate Studies, along with former Heads of the Department and current departmental staff.
Dr. Jinadasa brings extensive expertise as a Senior Lecturer specializing in strategic communication, digital media, and public relations. His professional portfolio includes consultancy roles with prestigious international development organizations, such as ITDG-UK and the World Bank’s Gemi Diriya project. His scholarly research spans diverse fields, including critical digital network media theory, masculinity and media, creative community development, gender studies, LGBTIQ+ issues, sexual health, higher education policy, and media psychology.
Throughout his distinguished academic career, Dr. Jinadasa has made substantial contributions to curriculum development in Sri Lanka’s higher education sector, pioneering the introduction of critical subject areas such as Public Relations, International Public Relations, Soft Power and Communication, and Media Psychology. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Digital Media and Critical Cultural Studies from Newcastle University, United Kingdom, along with multiple postgraduate qualifications in Indian Classical Music, Psychology, Translation Studies, and Research Methodologies.
A recipient of both Commonwealth and Presidential Postgraduate Scholarships, Dr. Jinadasa has authored 13 scholarly books and published nearly 25 academic articles in peer-reviewed journals, as well as 65 national and international conference papers. He has delivered presentations at prestigious international academic institutions, including Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India, Harvard University, the University of Oxford, the University of California, San Diego (USA), Newcastle University, and the University of Leicester (UK).
Dr. Jinadasa has actively engaged in academic discussions and dialogues with Professor Wimal Dissanayake (University of Hawaiʻi, USA), Professor Shelton Gunaratne (University of Minnesota, USA), and Professor Naren Chitty (Macquarie University, Australia; and Westminster University, UK) on a wide spectrum of media and communication disciplines, ranging from aesthetics, language, media philosophy to soft power and communication rationality.
Dr. Jinadasa maintains active affiliations with several prominent international academic bodies, including the International Communication Association (ICA), the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), and the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC). Currently, he serves as a co-investigator on an international research initiative examining education and masculinity in Sri Lanka, based at Newcastle University, under the supervision of Reader Dr. Chris Haywood—an eminent scholar in Critical Masculinity Studies and globally recognized as a former Chair of the American Men’s Studies Association.
The national conference “Becoming a Man in Sri Lanka: Understanding Post-Compulsory Education Trajectories” was held on March 26, 2025, at the University of Kelaniya, organized by its Department of Mass Communication in collaboration with Newcastle University, UK, and the British Academy.
The conference Chaired by Dr. Achala Abeykoon, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Kelaniya, the event featured insightful speeches delivered by Senior Professor Nilanthi de Silva, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, and Professor M. M. Gunathilake, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences. Dr. Chris Haywood, Reader in Critical Masculinity Studies at Newcastle University, UK, and Dr. Manjo Jimadasa, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Mass Communication, University of Kelaniya graced the event as the keynote speakers, while other guest speakers included Dr. Sujatha Gamage, an Education Policy Expert; Prof. Nirmal Devasiri, a Professor in History; and Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda, a Biodiversity Scientist.
