Dr. Selvy Thiruchandran is a Trustee and the former Executive Director of the Women’s Education and Research Centre, Council Member of the Social Scientists’ Association and Board member of the Noolaham Foundation and the Social Development and Research Organization. She also serves on the Council of the University of Peradeniya and represents Sri Lanka in the UN Women Civil Society Advisory Group (2015-2017).

Her qualifications include a BA from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka; MA in Women’s Studies from the Institute of Social Studies, Netherlands; and a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Vrije, Amsterdam. Her scholarly contributions cover issues of gender equality and equity, feminist research methodology, women empowerment, women and religion, women in politics and violence against women.