Dulini Fernando (BSc Lancaster, BSc London, MSc LSE and PhD Loughborough) researches on highly skilled careers, diversity and inclusion and work in multinational organizations. Her research as single and/or first author has been published in the Academy of Management Learning and Education, Academy of Management Discoveries, Harvard Business Review, Human Relations, the Journal of World Business, the Journal of Vocational Behaviour and the Human Resource Management Journal. She has recieved funding for her research by the British Academy, UKERC, ESRC, UKRI,  Midland Innovation, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Canada, GCRF, EDICa Causus and IAA.

In 2021, Dulini was chosen as a British Academy Mid-Career Fellow to examine intersectionality in the careers of skilled refugees. Dulini’s research has influenced government policy and organizational practice and is cited in international media. Dulini worked at Warwick Business School from 2013 to 2020 as Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Reader and at Manchester Metropolitan University from 2020 to 2022 as Professor of Decent Work and Productivity and Director of the Centre for Decent Work and Productivity. Dulini was external examiner for the BSc Economics and Management Program, University of Oxford from 2018-2021.

Dulini serves as a member of the ESRC Assesor College from 2025-2027.

Career sustainability amid chronic illness (2026-2028)

Funder: British Academy small grant (Principal Investigator)

Publishing qualitative research and engaged scholarship in major management journals - workshops in India and Sri Lanka (2025-2026)

Funder: The Soceity for the Advancement of Management Studies (Principal Investigator)

In collaboration with Monder Ram (Aston) and Mehdi Boussebaa (Glasgow)

Advancing the use of biochar in the  building industry: a multi-stakeholder study (2025-2027)

Funder: UKRI Cross Research Council Responsive Mode scheme (Co-investigator)

In collaboration with Mehreen Gul, David Jenkins (Herriot Watt University) and Moura Mehravar (University of Birmingham)

The work and career experiences of women with 
mental health issues in STEM research and innovation (2024 2025)

Funder: EDICa Caucus funded by UKRI & British Academy (Principal Investigator)

With Elina Meliou (Brunel) and Krystal Wilkinson (MMU)

The careers of highly skilled Indian corporate expatriates in the Netherlands (2023-24)

Funder: British Academy Small Grant (Principal Investigator)

With Mehdi Boussebaa (Glasgow) and Nidhi Bisht (MDI Gurgaon)

Ethnic minority careers in the energy sector (2023-24)

Funder: UKERC Networking fund (Co-Investigator)

With Mehreen Gul (Herriot Watt University Scotland)

Exploring minority ethnic doctors' career transitions in medicine: a life course approach (2022-25)

Funder: ESRC Transforming Working Lives grant (Co-Investigator)

With Etlyn Kenny, Joanne Duberley and Christian Darko (University of Birmingham)

Minoritized Ethnic heritage employees’ progression to Senior Leadership (2022-25)

Funder: Greater Manchester Housing Project Knowledge Transfer Partnership (Co-Investigator)

 With Julia Rouse (Manchester Metropolitan University UK)

Highly skilled refugees’ experiences in the UK workplace (2021-23)

Funder: British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship 

Partner: Renaisi London

Highly skilled women’s careers in the Finance Industry (2020-24)

Partner: Invesco Ltd 

2022                   

Carol Woodhams, Dulini Fernando and Yuanyuan Huo  “Migrant doctors and reducing pay gaps” Work in Progress Sociology. June 30^th 2022.

2018                   

Fernando, D., Cohen, L. and Duberley, J. "The problem of visibility for women in engineering, and how they manage it", Harvard Business Review. October 10^th 2018.

2018                   

Fernando, W. D. A. and Prasad, A. “How Managers, Coworkers, and HR Pressure Women to Stay Silent about Harassment”, Harvard Business Review. July 13, 2018

2018                   

Fernando, W. D. A., Cohen, L. and Duberley, J. "What managers can do to keep women in engineering ", Harvard Business Review.

2019                   

Dulini Fernando “The culture of silence that allows harassment in the workplace to continue”. FT Online. Tuesday January 08.

2018                   

Fernando, D., Cohen, L. and Duberley, J. "How to help women sustain careers in male-dominated spaces", LSE Business Review

2018                   

Dulini Fernando "The culture of silence that allows sexual harassment in the workplace to continue", The Conversation

2018                   

Dulini Fernando “The rhetoric and reality of the work life balance agenda” FT Online. Wednesday March 28.

2018                   

Dulini Fernando “Highly-skilled women, career progression and respectable femininity” FT Online. Wednesday January 10.

2014                   

Fernando, D. and Cohen, L. "Karma may have a role to play in career progression, but it won’t break glass ceilings", The Conversation

Dulini's research has also been noted in the Guardian, Times Higher education, The HR reporter, Business Inquirer, The Irish Examiner, Globe and Mail (Canada), Hindustan Times (India: 16.27m visitors/month), Channel News Asia, HR Grapevine magazine, Business Life magazine, Real Business, Growth Business, Rathbones Review, People Development and Dhaka Tribune (Bangladesh).

Highly skilled career progression, diversity, inclusion, voice, silencing, migration, widening participation, gender, minority ethnicity and religion in the workplace. Interdisciplinary research methods.