Yaseer is a Project Manager at LIRNEasia. He specialises in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, having previously worked with organisations such as ADB, UN-Habitat, UNFPA, JICA, and the World Bank. His project experience includes the preparation of Social Safeguard documents for project-affected communities, conducting socio-economic studies, developing Social Management Plans, performing Social Impact Assessments for development initiatives, overall project management, fieldwork planning and coordination, and people management.
He has also been involved in research on the socio-economic conditions of high-density urban populations and has contributed to projects aimed at enhancing independent living opportunities for individuals with disabilities, as well as initiatives focusing on sexual and reproductive health communication and planning. Recently, he served as a sociologist conducting field surveys among both project-affected and non-affected communities. His responsibilities included primary and secondary survey administration, sample survey execution, and qualitative and quantitative data collection.
Yaseer has also worked as a qualitative moderator, facilitating Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and stakeholder meetings. His professional interests lie in qualitative research, public consultation at the community level, and serving as a moderator. He holds an MA in Sociology from the University of Kelaniya and a BA in Social Sciences from the Open University of Sri Lanka.
At LIRNEasia, he is currently involved in:
- A national survey to identify human factors associated with information disorder, along with an experimental study assessing the effectiveness of solutions to counter misinformation (IDRC).
- Resisting Information Disorder in the Global South, an experimental study that employs qualitative methods to evaluate the effectiveness of countering information disorder using digital literacy programs among early adolescents (University of Stellenbosch).
His past work at LIRNEasia includes:
- He worked on the UNDP disability study, which involved developing a comprehensive disability assessment framework and model survey to collect essential data on persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Sri Lanka (WHO).
- He served in sampling for the household phone survey on the Rapid Assessment of the Social Registry and Aswesuma (World Bank).
- He contributed to the independent strategic evaluation of WFP’s approaches to targeting and prioritizing food and nutrition assistance (WFP–GPPI).