Dr. Shyamika Jayasundara Smits

Associate Professor

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Biography

Shyamika Jayasundara-Smits is an Associate Professor at the International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, specializing in Governance, Development, Violent Conflict, and Peacebuilding. Her research interests center on the interplay of war and peace, state-building, trauma, and psychosocial healing in post-war contexts. She investigates the war economy, the dynamics and challenges of post-war transitions, security sector reform, and civil-military relations in fragile conflict areas. Jayasundara-Smits also focuses on visual peace research and the nexus of media, gender, and security within violent conflict. Her main geographic area of expertise is South Asia, particularly Sri Lanka, where she has developed thematic proficiency in conflict and peace studies. She holds a Ph.D. in Development Studies from the International Institute of Social Studies, a Master’s degree in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University, and a Graduate Certificate in Peace Research from the University of Oslo. She completed her undergraduate studies in International Relations at the University of Colombo.

Research Interests

Courses

Discourse Analysis Making Development Conflict Analysis Politics Media Representations Contemporary Perspectives on Social Justice

Requirements for Erasmus University Rotterdam

Master Program
Requirements
IELTS
Listening
Required:6.5
Reading
Required:6.5
Writing
Required:6.5
Speaking
Required:6.5
Overall
Required:6.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:22
Reading
Required:22
Writing
Required:22
Speaking
Required:22
Total
Required:91
Prerequisites
Bachelor degree in Econometrics, Mathematics, Statistics or Industrial Engineering Advanced Mathematics (Calculus, Linear Algebra) Applied Statistics Econometrics and Time-series analysis
Application Checklist
  • Bachelor diploma or graduation statement
  • Official academic transcript
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Proof of English proficiency
  • Course descriptions for Mathematics prerequisites
Specialization Notes

Department of Econometrics / MSc Econometrics and Management Science.