Sunday Times 2
Prof. Ruwanpura recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award
View(s):Professor Janaka Yasantha Ruwanpura, Vice-Provost International (the equivalent to Pro-Vice Chancellor in the U.K. education system) at the University of Calgary, Canada was recently recognised with a prestigious “Life Time Achievement” from the Sri Lanka Foundation in Los Angeles. The Sri Lanka Foundation, a non-profit organization, was formed in June 2003 by Dr. Walter Jayasinghe, a well-known Sri Lankan-American physician in Los Angeles. Its main focus is to promote Sri Lankan culture in the United States and globally.
SLF recognised Prof. Ruwanpura for his role in enhancing the reputation of the University of Calgary and promoting it globally. He has been an academic superstar by becoming a prestigious Canada Research Chair and a full professor within 10 years of his first appointment as an assistant professor.
Prof. Ruwanpura was born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka and was the only son of late Dr. R.P. Sirisena, Medical Superintendent of Ayurvedic General Hospital (Colombo 
and late Nanda Sirisena. Prof. Ruwanpura was a student of Nalanda College, where he held numerous leadership positions. He lives with his wife Senani and their only son Seniru in Calgary.
Professor Ruwanpura earned a Bachelor of Science (honours) in quantity surveying from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka (1992), a Master of Science in construction management from Arizona State University (1997), and a PhD in construction engineering and management from the University of Alberta (2001). Ruwanpura was a lecturer in Quantity Surveying at the University of Moratuwa from 1992 to 1995. He was also an active quantity surveying consultant for number of clients and companies in Sri Lanka.
After his PhD, he was appointed as an Assistant Professor in the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering in 2001 and promoted as an Associate Professor with Tenure in 2006. He was then honoured with a Canada Research Chair in Project Management Systems in 2007 and succeeded to grow into a full professor in 2011. He also played a key role as the founding director of the Centre for Project Management in the Schulich School of Engineering since 2005 prior to taking his current role.
Early this year he was honoured with a “Science, Technology, Engineering and Math” award at the 20th Distinction of Immigration Awards, Immigrant Society of Calgary.