Achalie’s PhD journey into the voices of women workers in Sri Lanka

Growing up in Sri Lanka, Achalie Kumarage would often accompany her father, a Human Resource Manager in the apparel industry, to work during school holidays. She would spend her time with the women workers, listening to their stories, which became a significant part of her childhood. This early connection to the lives and struggles of women apparel workers inspired a journey that led Achalie to pursue a PhD at RegNet, where she explored how these workers negotiate their labour rights within the globalised apparel supply chain.

A legal academic and a lawyer by training, Achalie completed her undergraduate degree at the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo. She has worked at several leading institutions in Sri Lanka’s justice sector including the Attorney General’s Department, Ministry of Justice and the Faculty of Law at the University of Colombo. She later earned her Master of Laws from the American University’s Washington College of Law, as a Fulbright scholar, where she found a supportive network of academics and colleagues who shared her feminist values and interest in comparative law.

Returning to Sri Lanka, Achalie resumed her academic career, furthering her research and teaching while engaging with grassroots and regional organisations. Through these experiences, she observed how law translates into practice and built enriching connections with legal and development practitioners, and local communities. In 2019, she received the Best Paper Award from the Younger Comparativists Committee of the American Society of Comparative Law for her work on gender indicators and comparative law —an achievement that reinforced her commitment to advancing work in these areas.

Achalie’s passion for an academic career and impactful interdisciplinary research brought her to RegNet, where she was supervised by Professor Miranda Forsyth.

“I was drawn to RegNet for its interdisciplinary focus, impactful work, brilliant academics and engaged scholarly community,” she said.

“Professor Forsyth’s research, deeply embedded in feminist practice, amplifies the voice of grassroots actors, particularly women, local communities and civil society organisations from the global south. This resonated with my own lived experiences and values, and what I wanted to explore in my PhD thesis, focusing on women in the economy.”

One of the highlights of Achalie’s journey was being awarded the Social and Economic Rights Advocates (SERA)-Law and Society Association (LSA) in the United States, which was a tremendous honour for a postgraduate student and an early career researcher. The highly competitive grant recognised her research’s potential to advance labour rights, foster networks and empower women workers.

“I am especially thankful to my supervisor Professor Miranda Forsyth and Dr. Cally Guerin from the ANU Researcher Development for their guidance and support during the application process,” she shared.

“I also appreciate the early recognition of my work by the Asian Law and Society Association and the Asian Journal of Law and Society, which laid the foundation for securing this grant.”

Achalie’s PhD journey at RegNet has opened several pathways to advance her career both in academia and beyond.

“Through RegNet, I got a glimpse into what it is like to be an academic at a G-8 university through various events, meetings and engagements. During my PhD, I delivered guest lectures, facilitated seminars for the Professional Regulator program and tutored at the ANU College of Law.”

RegNet also supported her in attending international conferences, allowing her to share her research and build connections with global scholars, including at the prestigious Global Scholars Academy organised by the Institute for Global Law and Policy (IGLP) of the Harvard Law School.

Her PhD pushed her to discover unexpected talents, like baking. Baking for friends at the ANU Graduate House became a creative outlet and a hobby she turned to during tough moments. These are just some ‘tested’ tips for embarking on an academic journey with passion and purpose.

Reflecting on her journey, Achalie shares this advice for prospective students, echoing the wisdom her supervisors offered her early on:

“Tie your PhD research to a purpose, identify it early, and let it guide your journey. When challenges arise, remind yourself why you started and what you hope to achieve. Having a sense of purpose made my PhD journey both meaningful and enriching.”