Ramla Wahab-Salman, Executive Director
Ramla manages programming, library and digitization initiatives at AILS in Colombo.
She is a researcher in the field of history with research interests in urban history and Islam in South Asia.
Ramla holds a B.A. (Hons.) History from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi and M.A. History (South Asia) from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
Crystal Baines, Associate Director — Programming and Digital Humanities
Crystal manages the digital humanities initiatives at AILS Colombo and supports other academic and administrative programmes.
Her research interests include Literary History, Minority Studies, Religious Studies, and Translation Studies. Her current research focuses on how narratives of the secular and secularization intersect with Buddhist thought in twentieth-century South Asian literature.
She received her BA in English from the University of Peradeniya and PhD in English Literature from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is a Visiting Lecturer at the Department of English, University of Colombo.
Amali Wijesundara, Finance and Administration Manager
Amali manages AILS finances and takes a leading role in other administrative matters. She is in charge of the language instruction programme.
She is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (UK) and has worked and gained more than 30 years experience in the field of Finance in top corporates covering many industries in Sri Lanka.
Dorina Punniyamoorthy, Assistant Administrative Officer
Dorina assists with administrative work at AILS Colombo.
Her research interests include comparative politics, South Asian political culture and the state of democratic and public institutions in South Asia.
She holds a BA (Hons) and MA in Political Science from the University of Peradeniya. She has also served as a visiting lecturer at the Department of Social Science at the Open University of Sri Lanka.
Nanduni Shashipaba
Library Assistant
Nanduni holds a B.A. in Geography and Environmental Management from the University of Colombo. Her interests include environmental studies, demography, and Japanese language and culture.
Dinithi Rathnayake
Assistant Programming Officer
Dinithi assists with digital humanities initiatives at AILS Colombo and supports various academic and administrative programs. She is a final-year undergraduate at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, pursuing an honors degree in English. Her undergraduate thesis explores the negotiation between the elements of the Theatre of the Absurd and the objectives of the Feminist Waves— by examining the theatrical genre: Feminist Absurd. Her research interests include Gender Studies, Postcolonial Studies, Translation Studies, Postmodern Theatre, and Digital Humanities.
John Rogers, United States Director, AISLS
John handles AISLS operations in the United States, and he oversees the relationship between AISLS and AILS. He is based in Massachusetts, but he spends two to three months each year in Colombo.
He holds a Ph.D. in History from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, and has research interests in the social and legal history of South Asia and Sri Lanka. He has also taught at Tufts University, Harvard University, Dartmouth College, and Northeastern University.
