Emeritus Professor Prema-chandra Athukorala has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours List for significant service to tertiary education and to international trade and development economics.

Athukorala is among 948 Australians recognised in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours List, which includes recipients from public service, academia, science, the arts, sport and community life.

Announcing the honours, Governor General Sam Mostyn said: “Our honours system recognises outstanding people who contribute so much to Australia. In our communities, in workplaces and across the country, recipients have made an exceptional contribution to Australia.”

“Just like those honoured across the past 50 years, their service and achievement in the community and public service, industry and academia, science, the arts and sport help shape our nation,” she added.

Based in Canberra, Athukorala is an Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University, where he served as Professor of Economics in the Arndt-Corden Department of Economics from 2001 to 2020.

Before joining ANU, he taught at La Trobe University between 1985 and 1994 and began his academic career at University of Sri Jayewardenepura in Sri Lanka.

Over a career spanning more than five decades, Athukorala has built an international reputation in trade and development economics, with research focusing on trade policy, globalisation, international production networks, economic growth, financial crises and labour migration.
His work has informed policymakers, researchers and international institutions across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

In addition to his academic contributions, he has served as a consultant to organisations including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Labour Organization and the Government of Sri Lanka.

Athukorala has also held visiting academic appointments at the University of Manchester, Copenhagen Business School, Hitotsubashi University and Johns Hopkins University.

A Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia since 2003, he has also contributed to the field through editorial roles with leading international economics journals, including Asian Development Review and Asian Economic Papers.

His appointment recognises a distinguished career dedicated to advancing economic scholarship and understanding of international trade and development.

– With Agencies inputs --