Dr Chamindika Weerakoon

Biography

Dr. Chamindika Weerakoon is a Lecturer and Early Career Researcher specialising in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the School of Business, Law, and Entrepreneurship, Swinburne University. Currently, she serves as the convenor and lecturer for the Lean Start-up Springboard Unit and the Business Consulting Project Unit in the Bachelor of Business Degree program.

Chamindika earned her PhD in Management from RMIT University, Melbourne, and holds Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Commerce degrees from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Her research focuses on Social Entrepreneurship, specifically examining how venture behaviours and choices stem from micro-level foundations in the social enterprise context. Her approach combines theory-building and testing across commercial entrepreneurship, strategic management, and social entrepreneurship, contributing significantly to the emerging field of social entrepreneurship research. She has published in reputable journals such as the Journal of Small Business Management, Knowledge Management Research and Practice, and the Journal of Social Entrepreneurship. In 2021, her book titled "Theoretical and Practical Applications to Social Innovation" was published by IGI Global Publishers, USA. Her ongoing research projects explore value co-creation and capability development in social entrepreneurial ventures, the evolution of the Sri Lankan social enterprise sector, and business model innovation by Sri Lankan firms.

With extensive teaching experience in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Dr. Weerakoon has served as an Associate Lecturer at RMIT University Melbourne, and as a Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Management at the Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka. Her teaching expertise lies in Applied Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management. In recognition of her exceptional leadership and teaching in entrepreneurship, she received the "Inspirational Teaching" award from the School of Management, RMIT University in 2018. Driven by her passion for entrepreneurship education, she continuously explores and implements innovative teaching methods to enhance students' learning experiences. Her commitment to this cause was further acknowledged when she secured the Adobe Innovation Grant in both 2021 and 2022 for her initiatives aimed at improving the digital literacy skills of business undergraduates.