Anish Fonseka joined LIRNEasia in February 2025 and currently serves as a Researcher. He is a member of the Data, Algorithmics and Policy team, where he studies the intersection of AI and policy issues, including development, education, and the information landscape.
His ongoing work at LIRNEasia includes:
- The development and deployment of a media ethics monitoring tool.
- Research on the innovation and investment climate for AI in South and Southeast Asia.
- Studying how AI systems affect misinformation through experiments and qualitative research.
- A mapping study of public sector datasets in Sri Lanka.
Anish has also conducted research on social protection, data enrichment work, and digital public infrastructure for LIRNEasia’s other projects.
Prior to joining LIRNEasia, he worked as a Project Manager at CAFT, an agri-tech company that is a joint venture with Elpitiya Plantations. He oversaw research and development in drone-based autonomous farming for tea, coconut, and paddy cultivation. This involved technologies such as computer vision, robotics, and multispectral remote sensing.
Anish obtained a bachelor’s degree from New York University, majoring in Economics and minoring in Environmental Studies and Creative Writing.