Graduate student’s work connects life to environment
Doctoral student Sithuni Mimasha works with Indigenous communities in Sri Lanka to understand how the environment affects food systems, health, and daily life.
Sithuni Mimasha, left, talks with Ghanaians while she attends an in-person meeting as part of her research project.. Image courtesy of Mimasha.
Understanding how environmental shifts affect daily life is at the heart of a research effort that spans 17 countries and more than 100 Indigenous communities. For Virginia Tech doctoral student Sithuni Mimasha, that work starts with listening.
Mimasha is part of the Indigenous Peoples Observatory Network, an international collaboration working to better understand and respond to the challenges facing Indigenous communities globally and to build resilience in those communities.
As a member of the Climate–Food–Health Nexus Project, she works closely with six Indigenous communities in her home country of Sri Lanka to understand how climate-related pressures shape everyday decisions, from accessing clean water to preparing meals to seeking care during health emergencies.
Her research focuses on people's lived experiences. Through conversations and community visits, Mimasha documents how unpredictable rainfall, drought, and other environmental shifts influence food availability, chronic health conditions, and coping strategies. Through monthly calls with Indigenous communities, she also gains ongoing insights into people's daily lives and the challenges they navigate.
“Each community experiences these changes differently,” she said. “Understanding their perspectives helps us learn what resilience looks like in practice.”
Mimasha conducts this work alongside her advisor, Eranga Galappaththi, assistant professor in the Department of Geography who leads the Sri Lanka component of the network. Together, they collaborate with communities to identify the challenges most affecting daily life.
Mimasha was one of the attendees of the in-person meeting in Ghana in November 2025 that featured partners from across the globe. Image courtesy of Mimasha.
During recent fieldwork, one village had a deteriorating road that doubled the time required to reach a hospital or transport food. The issue is now part of a broader capacity-building effort members of the research team hope to support.
Her role in the project extends beyond fieldwork. Mimasha serves on six of the initiative’s seven working groups, contributing to discussions on ethics, gender, policy, evidence synthesis, and mentorship. She also helps develop country profiles that describe environmental trends and cultural practices across the network, creating a shared resource for partners who are navigating similar challenges.
Each year, project partners gather for an in-person meeting to reflect on progress and plan next steps. This year, Mimasha traveled to Ghana to join researchers from across Africa, South America, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific. A representative from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Indigenous Peoples Unit also participated.
“It was meaningful to hear how communities around the world are responding to environmental pressures in ways that reflect their cultures and histories,” she said. “The meeting helped me see our work in Sri Lanka as part of something much larger.”
The global collaboration is shaping her academic path in new ways. As a doctoral student in the College of Natural Resources and Environment, Mimasha is building research skills that center around communities while engaging with an international network of scholars. The experience reflects the university’s commitment to learning that is collaborative and grounded in real world impact.
For Mimasha, the most important outcome is ensuring that communities benefit from the work.
“Our goal is to support resilience,” she said. “If our research can help strengthen food systems, improve health access, or elevate community priorities, then we’re moving in the right direction.”
As the project continues, she will return to Sri Lanka to gather additional data and work with partners on next steps. The findings will contribute to published research as well as community-led initiatives supporting environmental stewardship, local knowledge, and long-term well-being.
