Patrick McNamara, Ph.D., serves as Executive Director of the United States-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission. He has worked with universities, governments, corporations, nonprofits, and foundations for over 35 years. Before joining Fulbright Sri Lanka, Patrick was at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) where he taught conflict resolution, sustainable development, and social entrepreneurship, and also served as Senior International Office He is on the governing board of Initiatives of Change, a global interfaith NGO “building trust across the world’s divides.” Patrick’s TED Talk is Water Conflict, Water Peace. Dr. McNamara earned a Ph.D. from the School of Public Administration at UNO. His dissertation research, funded by a fellowship from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, focused on public-private partnerships to solve homelessness. He earned a M.Sc. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University with specializations in international and organizational dispute resolution. His B.A. in Religion is from Swarthmore College where he studied comparative religions and ethics.

Abstract Title - Transdisciplinary Research, Creativity, and Innovation for Economic Development

This is an exciting time to be in Sri Lanka. Many opportunities are present. The complex problems will be best solved with cross-cutting answers. No longer are the traditional narrow disciplines of academe sufficient. What is needed is a culture of creativity and innovation. With approaches like social entrepreneurship and new policy frameworks, Sri Lanka is positioned to play a major role in the near and further future.