The American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies (AISLS) was established in 1995 to foster excellence in American research and teaching on Sri Lanka and to promote the exchange of scholars and scholarly information between the United States and Sri Lanka. The Institute serves as the professional association for United States-based scholars who are interested in Sri Lanka. Its members are drawn primarily from social sciences and humanities disciplines, including anthropology, education, history, Pali and Buddhist studies, comparative religion, geography, linguistics, literature and drama, performance studies and ethnomusicology, political science, psychology, sociology, and women’s studies.

AISLS has established several initiatives to promote scholarly excellence in Sri Lankan studies, including an annual grants competition for scholars wishing to undertake research in Sri Lanka. Beginning in 2002, AISLS awards partial travel support to graduate student members who present papers on Sri Lanka at the South Asia Conference at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. AISLS also sponsors workshops and pre-conference meetings that draw together members who share a common research interest.

In 2001, AISLS established a research center in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The center is developing a research library of scholarly materials, reference works, government publications, and digital resources. Its staff coordinates a workshop series designed to bring together American and Sri Lankan scholars for sustained interchange. These workshops serve to strengthen ties between the American and Sri Lankan academic communities and to stimulate collaborations.