| Chief Guest
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Dr. Matthew McCartney
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Research Group Leader for Sustainable Water Infrastructure and Ecosystems
International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
Matthew McCartney is the Research Group Leader for Sustainable Water Infrastructure and Ecosystems at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).His team explores how portfolios of built and natural water infrastructure can be financed, designed, and managed to support sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development. With over 30 years of experience in natural resources management - more than 20 of those with IWMI - Matthew has led and contributed to a wide range of interdisciplinary research and applied projects across Africa and Asia, including in Sri Lanka.
Matthews expertise includes field-based data collection, hydrological and water resources analysis, application of simulation models, and the design, management, and coordination of large-scale research initiatives. He served on the UNEP Dams and Development Project Steering Committee (2002–2004) and was a member of the Ramsar Science and Technical Review Panel (2007–2015), where he led the working group on wetlands and agriculture. From 2022 to 2024 he led the CGIARs Research initiative on the Water-Energy-Food-Environment (WEFE) Nexus. In 2026, he has served on the Scientific Steering Committee for the IWMI–IPCC Expert Meeting on Water and Climate (8–10 September 2026, Colombo, Sri Lanka) and has contributed to the Global Commission on Water for Food Futures, leading the development of technical documents for both..
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| Keynote Speaker |
Dr. Umakant Mishra
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Sandia National Laboratories, California, USA
Dr.Umakant Mishra works as a Principal Member of Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories, where he supervises a team working on terrestrial carbon cycle. His research integrates field observations, environmental datasets, geospatial analysis, and process-based modeling to quantify how human activities and environmental variability influence soil properties and processes. He has conducted extensive research on permafrost, temperate, and tropical soils, publishing studies on the response of soil organic carbon to land use and environmental stressors, lifecycle analyses of bioenergy crops, regional-to national-scale spatial prediction of soil properties, and evaluation of Earth system model projections.
Dr. Mishra has supported various scientific societies and agencies both within the United States and internationally. He serves as an Associate Editor in Soil Science Society of America Journal, Earth’s Future (AGU Journal), and Carbon Balance and Management (Springer Nature publication) journal. He is a founding member and a Co-Chair of the Data and Model Link science panel of the International Soil Modeling Consortium. His scientific contributions have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Soil Science Society of America, and the International Union of Soil Science.
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Panel Discussion
Resilience of Food Systems under Global Crisis |
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Dr. W.A.R.T. Wickramaarachchi
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Director General of Agriculture
Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka
Dr. W.A.R.T. Wickramaarachchi, the Director General of Agriculture in Sri Lanka is a distinguished agricultural scientist and administrator whose career spans over three decades of transformative work in research, policy and international collaboration. His expertise in plant pathology, plant protection, phytosanitary systems and agricultural policy has positioned him as a pivotal figure in advancing Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector.With a robust academic background including a PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore and an MSc in Agriculture from Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, India, Dr. Wickramaarachchi combines rigorous scientific training with visionary leadership.
Dr. Wickramaarachchi’s career is marked by his ascent through key roles in Sri Lanka’s Department of Agriculture (DOA). As Director of the Horticultural Crops Research and Development Institute (HORDI), he spearheaded research on high-value crops, soil health, and climate-resilient farming, fostering innovation in horticultural productivity. His tenure as Additional Director of the National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS) and Head of Sri Lanka’s National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) underscored his commitment to biosecurity and trade facilitation, aligning national policies with international standards like the IPPC.
In his current role as Director General of Agriculture, he oversees different research institutes, steering national strategies on food security, sustainable agriculture and export market expansion. His leadership during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic ensured uninterrupted plant quarantine operations safeguarding Sri Lanka’s agricultural trade. Prolific research her, Dr. Wickramaarachchi has pioneered advancements in plant pathology, molecular diagnostics and integrated pest management. His work on developing Sri Lanka’s first collar rot-resistant yard-long bean variety and molecular detection techniques for pathogens like banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) has earned him accolades including the Best Scientist Award (2023) and SLCARP Awards for Excellence in Agricultural Research. His research on biopesticides, soil-borne disease management, and climate-smart agriculture has been published in over 50 peer-reviewed papers and presented at global forums.
Dr. Wickramaarachchi has been instrumental in forging partnerships with global institutions such as MASHAV (Israel), FAO, and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). His leadership in projects like the Indo-Israel Agricultural Project (IIAP) and the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Program has facilitated technology transfer and capacity building. As Sri Lanka’s IPPC Official Focal Point.
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Mr.Waruna Madawanarachchi
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Managing Director
Agri Cluster, CIC Holdings PLC
Waruna Madawanarachchi is a senior agribusiness leader with extensive experience in corporate leadership, agricultural R&D, and strategic business development. He has played a pivotal role in driving innovation-led growth within the agribusiness sector, with particular emphasis on national seed system development, management of commercial farms and productivity enhancement. His work spans in areas like strategy formulation, governance, and the commercialization of agriculture research through public–private partnerships and international collaborations.
With a proven track record in managing cross-functional teams and engaging key stakeholders, he has contributed to strengthening the agribusiness operations in CIC Holdings PLC. He is widely respected for his ability to align scientific innovation with commercial objectives and regulatory frameworks. His professional focus is on building resilient agribusinesses, fostering innovation ecosystems, and delivering measurable value across the agricultural value chain.
He currently serves as the Managing Director of the CIC Agri Cluster, overseeing the Group's entire agricultural operations under CIC Holdings PLC. He was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of Chemanex PLC. In addition, he serves as a Director of CIC Agri Businesses (Private) Limited, CIC Dairies (Private) Limited, CIC Seeds (Private) Limited, CIC Grains (Private) Limited, Unipower (Private) Limited, CIC Cropguard (Private) Limited, and several other subsidiary companies within the CIC Agri Group.
He is a graduate from Peradeniya University and had obtained his master’s degree in Agronomy from Mississippi State University, USA.
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Mr. Ranga Pallawala
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Climate Change Policy Expert
EU SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component
Ranga Pallawala is the Climate Change Policy Expert for the European Union's SWITCH-Asia Programme, based in Thailand, where his portfolio spans 42 countries across the Asia-Pacific region.He previously served as Climate Finance Advisor for the Commonwealth Secretariat and brings over 25 years of international experience in global climate change policy and climate finance across South Asia, South East Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean, and Anglophone Africa, with recognized expertise in innovative climate financing tools such as debt-for-climate swaps, circular economy-linked climate bonds, and blended finance structuring. Since 2014, he has been actively engaged in UNFCCC international climate finance negotiations, including as part of the team that negotiated the historic Paris Agreement. He holds a Master's Degree in Environment Management from the University of Colombo and is an alumnus of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya".
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Dr. Chyngyz Erkinbaev
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Associate Professor
Department of Biosystems Engineering
University of Manitoba, Winnipeg
Dr. Chyngyz Erkinbaev is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering. His research focuses on the development of smart sensing technologies for real-time monitoring of food quality and safety with an emphasis on the development of computational tools. He believes that smart technologies will help agri-food systems to be more productive, efficient, and sustainable. His current research includes the development of a multimodal approach for non-destructive and accurate quality assessment of food during processing. He has extensive international research and teaching experience in food and biosystems engineering, advanced spectroscopy and imaging, biophotonics and optical sensor design, AI and machine learning, chemical and 3D microstructural mapping of food matrices.
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