About
Our Mission
The Neo Synthesis Research Centre (NSRC) was founded in 1982 to focus on conservation of biological diversity, regenerative land use and sustainable farmer livelihoods. The idea of ‘Neo Synthesis’ is to assess traditional and newly emerging technologies and approaches to land management and integrate the best of both in ecosystem conservation, rehabilitation, and sustainable land use.
We are a group of friends with a shared vision seeking to heal the earth. NSRC is incorporated as a Guarantee Limited Liability Company in Sri Lanka and provides services in landscape design, watershed rehabilitation, and regenerative agriculture.
Board of Directors
NSRC is a collective of friends with a shared vision seeking to heal the earth.
Dr. Kamal Melvani, Executive Director
Kamy is a landscape ecological design artist for livelihoods and the environment. She holds an MSc in Integrated Water Resource Management from the University of Peradeniya and a PhD focused on Valuing Forest Gardens in Sri Lanka from Charles Darwin University, Australia. She has been working throughout Sri Lanka for over 30 years to restore watersheds and native forests and enhance farmer livelihoods through regenerative agroforestry and agriculture. She has also worked in restoration in Bangladesh, Mongolia, and Australia.
Dr. Jerry Moles, Chairman
Jerry is an expert in the dynamics of cross-cultural knowledge facilitation. After earning his PhD from Stanford University, Jerry spent decades as a college professor and consultant helping rural communities cultivate productive, income-generating and environmentally friendly agricultural businesses. In the 1980’s he pioneered student exchange programs in Sri Lanka in which American and Sri Lankan students participated to enhance cross-cultural exchange. He works primarily in California and Appalachia, USA, and in Sri Lanka. He is a co-founder of NSRC and of Grayson Landcare, Virginia.
Professor Yvonne Everett, Director
Yvonne is a Professor Emerita in Environmental Science and Management at Cal Poly Humboldt University, Arcata, California, USA. A researcher with NSRC from the 1980’s, Yvonne’s PhD dissertation from the University of California analysed household forest gardens’ influence on the landscape scale in highland Sri Lanka. Her research focuses on collaborative processes for environmental resilience and place-based community livelihoods with an emphasis on forest and watershed restoration, biodiversity conservation, and community adaptation to climate change and wildfire. She is a board member of the Watershed Research and Training Centre and Friends of the Dunes in northern California, USA.
Ms. Parveen Dassenaike, Director
Parveen is the Chairperson and Managing Director of United Ventures (Pvt) Ltd., a Colombo-based company specialising in travel and tourism. She brings her wide ranging experience and passion for environmental sustainability to the Neosynthesis Research Centre as an Independent Board Director.
Dr. Ranjith Wasantha Kumara Punchihewa, Director
Punchi studied agricultural entomology at University of Peradeniya, and pollination ecology at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, and the University of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. In 1980 he joined the Sri Lanka Agricultural Service focusing on developing the beekeeping industry in Sri Lanka. From 2002 he taught at the University of Ruhuna. He is a Fulbright Senior Fellow and interacts with beekeepers in Asia, Europe, and North America. He chaired the Committee on Pollinators for the Sri Lanka National Action Plan for Conservation. Retired since 2015, Punchi is fully engaged in beekeeping development, pollinator conservation and utilization, and organic farming research and development.
Professor Willie L Baber, Director
Willie is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at the University of Florida, with prior roles at the Universities of North Carolina Greensboro, Purdue, and Tuskegee. He earned his BA from University of California, Davis, and his MA/Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Stanford University. His research spans economic anthropology, social change, and the Caribbean, with Fulbright-funded fieldwork in Martinique. He co-authored Expressively Black and has redefined Booker T. Washington’s ethnohistory. His applied work includes advising the Boise Police Department. A former student of Dr. Jerry A. Moles, Willie brings a unique perspective to NSRC.
Administrative Staff
Ms.Damayanthi Kodikara
Damayanthi manages finances including the preparation of annual accounts.
Ms. Surangi Perera
Surangi coordinates all of NSRC’s operations, including administration.
Mr. Dammika Hemachandra
Dammika is in charge of logistics and transport.