We extend our warmest congratulations to Professor W.A.J.M. De Costa on his appointment as Chairman of the Tea Research Board, effective 4th December 2024. The Tea Research Board oversees the Tea Research Institute (TRI) of Sri Lanka, the country’s premier institution for tea research and innovation since its establishment in 1925.
The TRI has been instrumental in advancing the Sri Lankan tea industry through cutting-edge research and dissemination of new technologies for tea cultivation and processing. With three research stations, six extension centers, and two estates under its purview, the TRI continues to play a vital role in sustaining and developing this key national sector.
Professor De Costa, an esteemed academic, earned his PhD in Plant Ecophysiology from the University of Reading, UK, under the Commonwealth Scholarship. He has conducted postdoctoral research in Germany under the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship and in the UK under the Commonwealth Fellowship.
We are confident that his expertise and leadership will further strengthen the TRI’s contribution to the tea industry’s growth and sustainability
