Ammaarah is a Sri Lankan researcher with over six years of experience working in the field of human rights and democratic governance. Most recently, she was researcher and partnerships lead for the Indo Pacific region at a Washington D.C. based think tank, where she examined rising political polarisation across South and Southeast Asia. Previously, Ammaarah worked with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, documenting and analysing labour rights violations to inform recommendations to strengthen social protection for workers and promote decent work. Her research on religious minorities has contributed evidence to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and supported the UN Sri Lanka Early Warning System. She holds degrees from the University of Delhi and the University of Colombo. Through the MPP, Ammaarah hopes to explore how evidence-based research can support governments in designing participatory and rights respecting policies that address complex social and political challenges.