From a young age, Kalhari Gunarathna wanted to experience the world outside her home country. Growing up in Padukka, a small town in the Colombo district of Sri Lanka, she decided she would attend University abroad. Behind all this was a deep-seated curiosity about the environment that has influenced her education and career choices. To date, Kalhari, a Senior Research Associate at the University of Portsmouth, has completed two master’s degrees, including one at NRI.

This is the story of Kalhari’s journey from Sri Lanka to the UK, a story of determination, hard work and a keen hunger for knowledge.

Starting out in Sri Lanka

It took Kalhari a year of waiting before she found the right opportunity for undergraduate study after her A-levels. However, her determination to study abroad paid off when she received a scholarship to study Environmental Science at the Asian University for Women (AUW) in Bangladesh. Her time at AUW was the perfect opportunity for Kalhari to tap into her desire to experience different cultures around the world. In her second year, she took an internship teaching introductory environmental science to O-level students in Rajasthan, India. In her third year, she was selected for a month-long competitive program to study at Showa Women’s University in Japan. Beyond school, Kalhari was part of a conflict resolution project helping conflict-affected children in north and eastern Sri Lanka.

Upon returning home in 2014, Kalhari taught environmental management for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) at Lyceum International School in Colombo. Seven years later, Kalhari was not just a seasoned teacher. She had become the subject coordinator for environmental management and chief examiner for the Lyceum group of schools while also completing a master’s degree in environmental management at the University of Colombo. Despite her achievements, Kalhari continued to seek opportunities for further postgraduate study.

NRI experience

Faced with the choice to study in Canada or join NRI, Kalhari chose the latter and joined NRI to study for the MSc in Global Environmental Change (GEC) in 2022. ‘I was super motivated to come to the UK, and looking back, I know NRI was a blessing because I needed this degree to strengthen my foundation for a research career,’ she recollected.

Kalhari’s motivation for choosing the GEC programme is rooted in her childhood experiences in Padukka. ‘I grew up around rich biodiversity, playing in creeks, paddies and mountains, and have always wanted to understand the environment in depth. Later, I started noticing and learning that there are challenges with the environment, and I wanted to help address them,’ she said.

On her time at NRI, she noted, ‘I enjoyed my time and had a very rewarding experience at NRI. I learnt so much, which helped me grow and has been the foundation for building my career in the UK.’ Kalhari was full of praise for the support she received as a student. She summed it up below:

‘I must express my gratitude to Dr Conor Walsh, Program Leader of the MSc in Global Environmental Change. His guidance and insights have always helped me shape my academic journey at NRI and my work beyond graduation. I also received huge support from my research project supervisor, Dr Marcos Perez to refine my project and explore various opportunities for further development. Dr Claire Coote's advice and support have been crucial to my achievements during and after my time at NRI.

Kalhari was also impressed and motivated by the freedom she had to think broadly and incorporate independent thoughts and experiences in her class projects and assignments.

An outstanding research project

The effects of a learning environment that encourages academic curiosity were echoed in Kalhari’s research project. For her master’s research project, Kalhari investigated the carbon sequestration potential of English vineyards. Her project was awarded the best dissertation in her class. She was also invited to present her research at the London Student Sustainability Conference in February 2024 and the International Union of Soil Science Conference in May 2024. Kalhari’s project reflects individual brilliance and determination but also the effects of the student-friendly environment and support that encourages academic rigour and excellence at NRI.

Starting a career in environmental research

In June 2024, Kalhari joined the University of Portsmouth, where she helped track the impact of 30 research projects from 2021 to 2024 at the Faculty of Technology. Her work will help generate evidence for the Research Excellence Framework 2029.

After this project, Kalhari was appointed Senior Research Associate for the Monitoring Ammonia and Nitrogenous Greenhouse Gases in Agriculture and Wastewater (MANGA) project. MANGA aims to create low-cost sensors to enhance monitoring of nitrogen containing gases, and boost capacity to develop strategies to reduce emissions.

Kalhari hopes to build a career as an environmental researcher and do a PhD exploring the impact of climate change on agriculture and soils in the developing world.

A word to current and prospective students

To both current and prospective students, Kalhari said: ‘NRI has been a cornerstone in establishing my career as an early-career environmental researcher in the UK. A degree at NRI will offer you career benefits. I have no words to describe the excellent support I received as a student and even after graduating.’

I pursued this degree at the NRI to build on and acquire the knowledge and skills that were missing in my previous education, aiming to strengthen my foundation for a research career. This experience was transformative, significantly boosting my confidence while equipping me with vital expertise, hands-on skills, and valuable professional connections.