South East

Regional Network Coordinators

Lakshita Jangid (London)

Lakshita Jangid is a Commonwealth Shared Scholar from India pursuing an MSc in Global Health and Development at University College London. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi, and her work lies at the intersection of health systems, policy, and development practice. 

She worked with PATH, a global health non-profit, where she supported strategy and partnerships across South Asia, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Her work involved conducting landscape analyses, monitoring funding trends, developing proposals, and coordinating with cross-cutting teams across digital health, nutrition, climate, and health systems strengthening.   

Previously, she served as a Legislative Assistant to a Member of Parliament from Assam, supporting parliamentary research, drafting policy briefs, and contributing to a Private Member’s Bill on gender-responsive disaster management and human-elephant conflict (HEC). She collaborated with communities, NGOs, and government to secure CSR funding for education and health initiatives.    

In her role as Regional Network Coordinator, she seeks to build a dynamic community of Commonwealth Scholars driven by shared learning, mutual support, and collective impact. 

S M Mashrur Arafin Ayon (Cambridge)

S M Mashrur Arafin Ayon is a Commonwealth Master’s Scholar from Bangladesh pursuing an MPhil in Multi-disciplinary Gender Studies at the University of Cambridge. 

He has over three years of professional experience working with United Nations agencies, think tanks, and universities. Mashrur served as a National Consultant for UN Women Bangladesh, leading research on gender analysis and the care economy. He also worked as a Policy Analyst at the South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) and contributed to evidence-based policy research projects across South Asia. 

Mashrur’s research interests focus on the care economy, gender pay gap, and time-use surveys. He also actively contributes to the global open-source community, promoting collaborative research tools. Mashrur completed his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Dhaka and received several merit-based scholarships. 

As the Regional Network Coordinator for the Cambridge region, he aims to foster collaboration, mentorship, and community among Commonwealth Scholars. 

Renushi Ubeyratna (Sussex)

Renushi Ubeyratna is a development practitioner whose work spans gender justice, youth empowerment, safeguarding, and social inclusion, with a focus on rights-based and locally grounded approaches. She has led and engaged with campaigns, advocacy, and programmes on gender justice and social inclusion with local and international development agencies and the UN. Recognized as a 2022 Community Solutions Fellow by the U.S. Department of State and IREX, and a Wedu Rising Star, Renushi aims to bring fresh perspectives to inclusive leadership. She holds an interdisciplinary background with an honour’s degree in International Relations and minors in English and Sociology, and her interests lie in exploring the political economy of inequality. 

As a Commonwealth Shared Scholar at the Institute of Development Studies (University of Sussex), pursuing an MA in Power, Participation and Social Change, she aims to rethink how development is understood and practiced in Sri Lanka, bridging the gap between policy and lived realities. Beyond her professional work, Renushi mentors first-generation female graduates in suburban Colombo, supporting their transitions into leadership and higher education.

University Representatives

If you are interested in becoming a University Representative and assisting in building a strong network of Scholars and Fellows, please contact the relevant Coordinator for your region or email engage@cscuk.org.uk to find out more.