Dr Sepalika Sudasinghe, the Director General of the National Science Foundation, was honored to be a keynote speaker at the International Conference on Computational and Mathematical Modelling which was organized by the Centre for Mathematical Modelling at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, from January 24 to 26, 2024.
During her presentation, Dr Sudasinghe focused on the myriad challenges faced by society and citizens, ranging from issues such as poverty and climate change to concerns about sustainability and pandemics. Emphasizing the importance of governments in developing tools capable of foreseeing, preventing, and responding to complex, dynamic challenges with resilience, she underscored the critical role of scientific research and development in decision-making.
In the realm of resolving economic and management issues, Dr Sudasinghe highlighted the increasing use of mathematical methods. Modern economics is witnessing an upward trend in the widespread application of mathematical models to solve practical problems and model socio-economic phenomena and processes. She emphasized that making timely and informed decisions is crucial for businesses, particularly in scenarios where multiple participants with conflicting views and interests are involved. According to Dr Sudasinghe, decision-making mathematical models are proven to be invaluable in such situations, utilizing input variables subject to specific conditions to aid management in arriving at well-informed decisions.
In conclusion, Dr Sudasinghe asserted that mathematical modeling emerges as a powerful tool, simplifying the process of problem-solving. This enables individuals and organizations to analyze, understand, and make informed decisions in various real-life scenarios. Her insightful talk provided valuable perspectives on the transformative role of mathematical modeling in addressing contemporary challenges.