Ms. Senaratne has completed the professional training as part of the New Issues in Security Course at the Geneva Center for Security Policy as well as participated in the Visiting Scholars Program of the China Institute of International Studies. She is also an alumna of the Ship for World Youth Programme organized by the Cabinet Office of Japan and an alumna of the University of Colombo, Indian Institute for Mass Communication.Ms. Bhagya Senaratne is a lecturer at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University in Sri Lanka. She has experience in the fields of international relations and communications having worked at the Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the private sector.

She has contributed extensively to local and international publications. Her most recent articles are “National Security of Sri Lanka: Importance of Mass Media and Communication,” which appeared in the International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies (University of Sri Jayewardenepura, 2017), and “Elements of Sri Lanka’s Geopolitics: Impact on United States’ Foreign Policy,” which appeared in the Maritime Affairs: Journal of the National Maritime Foundation of India (Routledge, 2017).

Ms. Senaratne also co-edited the publication titled Pakistan-Sri Lanka Relations: A Story of Friendship (National Defence University, Pakistan, 2017). Her research article titled “Strengthening China’s Overseas Image: A Case Study of Sri Lanka” will appear in the forthcoming issue of the journal of the China Institute of International Studies, China International Studies.

She holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Colombo and is currently pursuing her doctorate there. Ms. Senaratne’s research and teaching interests are diplomacy, strategic communication, foreign policy, China-Sri Lanka relations, and Sri Lanka’s role in the Indian Ocean region.