Researcher Highlight
Dr. Chinthani Rathnayake Theme 5
An alumna of the ARC Research Hub for Smart Fertilisers
‘My career inspiration is to enhance my skills and knowledge to the point where I can make significant and meaningful contributions to a better society and planet.”
Research Focus
‘I worked as the Post-doctoral Research Fellow (Agricultural Economics) in Theme 5 of the Hub that aims at maximising sector wide value by translating findings to broad-based extension and public policy formulation. My role in Theme 5 was to conduct social benefit cost analyses of using different sources of nitrogen in Australian agricultural industries including cotton, sugarcane, and vegetables. As a part of the analyses, Professor Bill Malcolm and I developed a method to assess economic surplus from N use in agriculture, also accounting external costs associated with nitrous oxide emissions from N fertilisers. The incentive for farmers to use N fertiliser is significantly high given the yield response to fertilisers (price inelastic demand for N by farmers), was also reflected by high benefit cost ratios in our analyses. We also investigated potential policy options that could be used to address issues related to N use in agriculture, and the study suggested taking an approach with a public-private partnership would be essentially effective in lowering private and external costs of N use more rapidly than otherwise. Hence, investments by both public and private entities on research and development of advanced fertiliser technologies such as Enhanced Efficiency Fertilisers is of paramount importance.’
Chinthani’s Science Journey
Working at the Hub has been a great experience for me in professional, as well as personal development. I highly appreciate and am thankful for all the opportunities and experiences I had with the Hub for a period of two years, especially fortnight hub meetings and industry placements.’
‘Currently I am working as a Research Fellow (Agricultural Economics) in the project titled ‘Assessing the Social and Economic Implications of Changing to Low-input and Organic Rice Production in Lao PDR’ funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). The role is associated with conducting economic analyses at farm level and beyond in the Lao rice industry in capturing the effect of a change in input use at farm level at respective market levels. Additionally, I contribute as a Research Ethics Advisor at the Human Research Ethics Committee at the University by providing advice to researchers on the alignment of their applications with ethics requirements.
