Dr. Nadeesh de Silva is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Legal Studies at the Open University of Sri Lanka, where he previously served as the Head of the Department. He earned his PhD from the International University of Japan in Niigata in 2024. In 2015, he obtained his Master’s degree in Business Law from Sardar Patel University in Gujarat, India, and completed his Bachelor of Laws (Hons) at the University of Colombo in 2010. Since 2011, Dr. Nadeesh has also been practising as an Attorney-at-Law. He continues to share his knowledge and expertise as a Senior Lecturer Grade I, in the Department of Legal Studies at The Open University of Sri Lanka.
He is an ICCR scholarship holder, a W.W. Kannangara merit awardee, and an IUJ Nayakama Scholarship holder. He participated twice as a head delegate in the Model WTO Conference 2018 held in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2018 and 2019.
He is an interdisciplinary researcher focusing on the intersection of Law, Trade, Politics, and International Relations. His research interests encompass various areas, including International Economic Law, South Asia, small economies, Investment, Trade, Development, Trade Policy Making, Geopolitics, and Human Rights.
He is not just an academic, but also an activist at heart. Nadeesh is actively engaged in activism in the education sector and union work to protect democracy, equality, and academic freedom in the university sector and society. His role as the Media Spokesperson of the Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) and as the Convenor of FUTA for People’s Struggle activities from 2022 to 2023, during which the ‘People’s Struggle’ continued in Sri Lanka, is a testament to his unwavering commitment. FUTA played a vital role in protecting people’s rights, initiated many policy discussions and actions to protect the country’s citizens, and formed a coalition among Trade Unions, Civil Societies, Political Parties, and the Civil Activists of Sri Lanka.
With over 14 years of experience as an Attorney at Law in Sri Lanka, Nadeesh brings a wealth of legal knowledge and practical insights to his academic and activist roles. His understanding of the Scope of the Human Rights Laws of Sri Lanka and the practical difficulties of the policy-making process is unparalleled. He has served as a convenor for the National Legal Education Committee of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) for two years (2021-2023).