A true inspiration to all who learn.
Chelvica Ariyanayagam serves as Research Adviser in the Research and Enterprise Office at the University of Otago, with primary responsibility for the Otago Business School within the Division of Commerce. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and a Master of Arts with Honours (MA(Hons)) from the University of Auckland. In her role, she supports researchers across the full project lifecycle of research grants. Pre-award activities include identifying contestable funding opportunities, assisting with the development of high-quality proposals aligned to funder themes and compliance requirements, providing proposal writing support, and advising on budget development. Post-award, she facilitates the contracting process, grant management, liaison with external stakeholders for subcontracts, ensures timely operational work and reporting, and manages contractual variations. She welcomes contact from researchers upon joining the University to discuss funding strategies.
Ariyanayagam is the designated Research Adviser for the Dean's Office of the Otago Business School, School of Computing, Bioethics Centre, Kōhatu Centre for Hauora Māori, Centre for Pacific Health (Va'a o Tautai), and Pharmacovigilance Centre, all located at the Business School on 60 Clyde Street, Dunedin. Prior to joining the University of Otago in 2019, she served as Research Programme Coordinator at the University of Auckland's School of Optometry and Vision Science. Earlier, from 2004 to 2006, she was a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the French Department at the University of Auckland. Her work enables effective research funding acquisition and administration within commerce and related fields.