Lakshman Wimalasena Wimalasena

I am Dr. Lakshman Wimalasena, an assistant professor specialising in human resource & diversity management at Edinburgh Business School (EBS), within the School of Social Sciences at Heriot Watt University.

I am part of the HRM group within the Department of Management at EBS. My teaching responsibilities encompass Global Course Leader for managing diversity in business for postgraduate students and People Management - HWU Online for undergrauate level. I am also the Programme Director for Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree programme. Additionally, I presently serve as the first and second supervisor for eight doctoral students with two more students in the process of enrolling. On the administrative front, I chair the Ethics Committee of the Department of Management and also I am a member of the School Disciplinary Board (SDC) within the School of Social Sciences. As an academic, I hold membership in the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and contribute to the Centre for the Transformation of Work (CTW) research group.

My research interests span several critical areas, including Fair Work, digitalisation & marginalisation, gender, EDI (equality, diversity & inequality), and reflexive diversity in the context of work and organisations. My current research projects involve, a co-design intervention to foster Fair Work, occupational identity and progression with a Scottish Public Sector. Currently, I am engaged in providing Reflexivity Training for Public Sector employees, investigating the gendered impact of working from home, examining casual workers in Sri Lanka’s global apparel industry, and exploring the intersection of social media, digital distraction, and the experiences of rural Sri Lankan women. The present developments of my pubic engagement with Scottish Public Sector and Scottish Government's Fair Work Policy has opened up further new research avenues towards Health Care Education and Reflexivity. Two new research projects are being formulated together with Scottish public sector organisations and Scottish medical schools. Additionally, I have a keen interest in critical realism and the morphogenetic approach.

My External Engagement

• REF 2029 External Assessor - Bath Spa University (Appointed in April, 2024)
• Editorial Member – Journal of Critical Realism

Also, I have been invited to review academic papers for the following recognised journals over the last five years:

• Reviewer for Frontiers Sociology online journal – ongoing since 2017
• Reviewer for the Journal of Critical Realism – ongoing since 2017
• Reviewer for the Sociological Review journal – since 2019
• Reviewer for the Journal of Organisation – Since 2019
• Reviewer for the Journal of Management Development – Since 2020
• Reviewer for the Journal of Work, Employment & Society - 2024
• Reviewer for the Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour - Since 2025

Contribution to University management

 I am a trained ‘Respect Ambassador’, working together with a team of local and international group of members appointed by the Heriot Watt University, a support channel for staff experiencing workplace harassment, bullying and unfair treatment, since 2022.

I am a member of the Heriot Watt University’s Anti Racism Reference Group since July 2023.

I am a member of Athena Swan Working Group - SoSS

Research Impact & Knowledge Transfer Projects

1. Project Title: Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) - Heriot-Watt University & Diageo Scotland Limited - This project will establish Diageo Global Engineering's first fully integrated project management office embedding modern project management methodologies, AI-enabled productivity tools into the CapEx Engineering Function. The project combines systems level PMO design, AI-ebabled project management approaches and advanced cultural diagnostic methods to create a bespoke sociotechinical PMO. Scottish Government Grant - £250,000.00 (Decision Pending). 
2. Project Title: Inclusive Careers in Engineering: Supporting Marginalised Engineers in Career Progression - British Academic Grant (£9,665.76) - Bid Successful. Collaborator. 
3. Project Title: Fair Work Framework, Internal Conversations, Occupational Ambitions and Sense of Identity: Working with Lower-Level, Non-Clinical NHS Employees to Effect Career Progress and Challenge Disadvantage. This project looks at how Covid-19 Pandemic has impacted Fair Work Experiences predominantly on public sector women's working experiences (SoSS Internal Research Grant) - Value - £3,728.00
4. Project Title: Personal Reflexivity in Social Research: A Participatory Critical Realist Methodology Workshop for Researching Contemporary Social Dynamics - Small Grant (£2,500) funded jointly by Scottish Graduate School of Social Science (SGSSS) & Scottish Graduate School of Arts & Humanities (SGSAH) under the scheme 'Spring in to Methods' 2022/2023 (Lead Academic - Heriot Watt University) together with Bath Spa University UK, Manchester University UK, KTH Royal Institute of Technology – Sweden, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Australia. 
5. Project Title: Digitalisation of the Academy: Exploring the Nature of Contemporary Digital Labour and Work Intensification among Academics at Scottish Universities – an on-going and work in progress project led by Wimalasena, L. (a one-month internship as well as a pilot study are currently underway, funded by the CREWS in support of a future larger project).
6. Project Title: “Gendered Experiences of working from Home during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Study of Information Technology Professionals in Sri Lanka” - Co-Investigator in the project led by Prof. Lasith Guanwarendena, University of Sri Jayewardenapura Sri Lanka. This application was successful and won a grant of Rs. 1.237 million – internal research grants, and will run for two years from February 2022. http://workfromhome.lk/ 
7. Project Title: Masculinities Matter: Everyday Masculinities of Rural Conflict-Affected Sri Lanka (Archived) - May, 2021 - £196,722.70 - This bid was successful, but the funder withdrew the offer being subjected to UK government funding cuts – Principal Investigator. 
8. Project Title: The forgotten garment workers: life stories of marginalised women in Sri Lanka’s export apparel industry – GCRF Small Grant - June, 2021 – Led by Manchester Metropolitan University in Collaboration with University of Sri Jayewardenapura, Sri Lanka – Bid successful - £5,000 – Co-Investigator 
9. Project Title: Social Media and Distracted Women: An Exploration of the Influence of Facebook(ing) on the Daily Life of Rural Sri Lankan Women. April, 2018, Internal Research Grant. Value – £3,100, Successful. Principal Investigator   

Funding gained and sought.  

 1. Project Title: Inclusive Careers in Engineering (ICE): Supporting Career Progression of Marginalised Engineers – The British Academy - £9,665. Co-Investigator – Bid Successful, the project is currently in progress.   

 2. Project Title: Equitable Work Places: Evaluation Of Scottish Fair Work First Agenda (Scottish Government Grant), value £90,000.00, Project Lead (April, 2025). (Bid unsuccessful) 

 3. Project Title: Creating Inclusive Organisations to Support Minoritised Groups’ Career Progression And Retention In STEM, (ESRC Grant), value £350,000.00, Co-Investigator (April 2025) (Bid unsuccessful) 

 4. Project Title: Inclusive Innovation in Focus [INFO]: Capturing Innovative, Hidden, Minority Engineering Voices through Reflexivity, Internal Seed funding, Value - £40,000.00 (2024) (bid unsuccessful).  

 5. Project Title: Internal Conversations, Occupational Ambitions and Sense of Identity: Working with Lower-Level, Non-Clinical NHS Employees to Effect Career Progress and Challenge Disadvantage – bid successful (CREWS Seed-corn grant, currently on-going) - Value - £3,728.00. - Principal Investigator (Bid successful) 

 6. Project Title: Towards A Reflexive HRM: Introducing Reflexivity In The Practice of People Management, (CIPD grant), value - £5950.00 - Principal Investigator - (Bid unsuccessful). 

 7. Project Title: A Mixed Methods Comparative Study into the Hidden Realities of UK and US LGBT+ Workers in Engineering, Computer Science and Biology, (Royal Society of Chemistry grant), Value (£233,757.00) - (Bid unsuccessful) – Co-investigator in collaboration with University of Glasgow, UK. 

 8. Project Title: ‘Personal Reflexivity in Social Research: A Participatory Critical Realist Methodology Workshop for Researching Contemporary Social Dynamics’. In Collaboration with KTH Royal Institute of Technology – Sweden, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Australia. Funded by Scottish Graduate School of Social Sciences and Scottish Graduate School of Arts and Humanities - £2,500.00 (Bid successful) 

 9. Project Title: ‘Shattering the Digital Disadvantage! Working with Disadvantaged Young People for a Fair and Equitable Digital Future’ - Principal Investigator – (Bid unsuccessful), (£688,316.47) - Funder – Nuffield Foundation.  

 10. Project Title: “Gendered Experiences of working from Home during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Study of Information Technology Professionals in Sri Lanka” - Co-Investigator in the project led by Prof. Lasith Guanwarendena, University of Sri Jayewardenapura Sri Lanka. This application was successful and won a grant of Rs. 1.237 million – internal research grants and runs for two years from February 2022 (Bid successful).  

 11. Project Title: Digitalisation of the Academy: Exploring the Nature of Contemporary Digital Labour and Work Intensification among Academics at Scottish Universities – an on-going and work in progress project led by Wimalasena, L. (Bid successful) 

 12. Two small projects supporting the above project have been completed, supported by the Internal Research Grants - Centre for Research on Employment, Work and Professions (CREWS), School of Social Sciences, Heriot Watt University:  

i. One-month internship on a pilot project titled - Voluntary Drop-in Sessions (?): Digitalisation, Digital Labour and the Intensification of Work in the Academy 

ii. Pilot project titled: Digitalisation of the Academy: Exploring the Nature of Contemporary Digital Labour and Work Intensification among Academics at Scottish Universities - Funded by CREWS – Value £1080.  

 13. Project Title: Masculinities Matter: Everyday Masculinities of Rural Conflict-Affected Sri Lanka (Archived) - May, 2021 - £196,722.70 GCRF Grant attached to Gender, Justice and Security Hub – London School of Economics (LSE) - (This bid was successful, but the funder withdrew the offer being subjected to UK government funding cuts for international research as a part of recovery efforts following Covid-19 policy decisions – Principal Investigator).  

 14. Project Title: The forgotten garment workers: life stories of marginalised women in Sri Lanka’s export apparel industry – GCRF Small Grant - June, 2021 – at Manchester Metropolitan University – Bid successful - £5,000 – Co-Investigator  

 15. Project Title: Social Media and Distracted Women: An Exploration of the Influence of Facebook(ing) on the Daily Life of Rural Sri Lankan Women. April, 2018, Internal Research Grant. Value – £3,100, Bid Successful. Principal Investigator   

 16. Project Title: Information perception and credibility for strengthening community resilience in the context of pandemic emergency, February, 2021, - £178,978.12 - (Bid unsuccessful) - Co-Investigator  

 17. Project Title: ‘Inclusive Flexi-Work Lab’: Buidling Resilience in the Pandemic-hit Sri Lankan Apparel Industry with Disadvantaged Women, December, 2020 – Value £238,768.18.(Bid unsuccessful) –  Principal investigator  

 18. Project Title: Digitalised Emancipation (?): Making an Intervention through Social Media in Emancipating Rural Sri Lankan Women from Oppression and Poverty August, 2021 - £32,285.40 - (Bid unsuccessful) - Principal Investigator 

 19. Project Title: Impact of Digitalisation on Reflexivity (Sense of Self) and Changing Career Aspirations of Scottish Youth - £22,108.42 - (Bid unsuccessful) – Principal Investigator  

 20. Project Title: Ethnic Minority Graduate Internship Model: Submitted on 22-02-2017 to European Social Fund - Social Innovation Fund - Scottish Government – Value: £41,673.80. 30% approx. Contribution. (Bid unsuccessful). Co-Investigator 

 21. Project Title: ‘Type of Entrepreneurship and the Economic Implications of Scotland, small grants at Carnegie Trust – Value £7,500. 2016. (Bid unsuccessful) – Principal Investigator 

My Doctoral Project: 

Presence of the departed? Meaning of work and the reflexive life journey of postcolonial Sri Lankan agents through the world
available at: http://www.ros.hw.ac.uk/handle/10399/3037 

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