Dr. Chris Haywood, Reader in Critical Masculinity Studies in the Department of Media, Culture and Heritage at Newcastle University, UK, met with Senior Professor Nilanthi De Silva, Vice-chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, on the 6^th of November 2024 at the Vice-chancellor’s Office.

Dr. Chris Haywood and Dr. Manoj Jinadasa from the Department of Mass Communication, University of Kelaniya, are currently launching a collaborative research project funded by a British Academy Grant and an International Science Grant, focusing on Sri Lankan higher education and gender representation from a feminist perspective.

Dr. Haywood has published extensively in leading academic journals and authored influential books with respected publishers, including Routledge, Sage, Taylor & Francis, Springer, and Macmillan. His current research project, Becoming a Man in Sri Lanka: Understanding Post-Compulsory Education Trajectories in Sri Lanka, continues his exploration of the socio-cultural dimensions of masculinity.

Newcastle University and the University of Kelaniya are also working towards developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to facilitate knowledge sharing and collaborative research, with the aim of strengthening contributions at global, national, and local levels.

Present on the occasion were Professor M. M. Gunathilaka, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences; Senior Lecturer Wijayananda Rupasinghe, Head of the Department of Mass Communication; and Dr. Manoj Jinadasa from the Department of Mass Communication.