Personal Details

Nationality	Sri Lankan
Date of Birth	23rd September 1942
Address (Residence)	No.248/168 Lotus Grove, Hill Street, Dehiwala , Sri Lanka
Telephone	Residential - +94112732104 Mobile +94777312238 Fax - +94112735596
	Official - +94112737880
E-mail address	dayantha@sltnet.lk
Website	http://www.dayanthawijeyesekera.com

Personal Information - Dayantha Sepal Wijeyesekera

Born in September 1942, was the eldest son of Placidus and Merle Wijeyesekera of Moratuwa. Having had his early primary education at Our Lady of Victories Convent, Moratuwa, he completed his secondary education at S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia. His technical education was received at the Ceylon Technical College, Maradana and the Institute of Practical Technology, Katubedda (1960), as a student of the first batch following the Junior Technical Officers course (JTO) at Katubedda.
After a brief period of service at the Water Supply and Drainage Board, Ratmalana, he proceeded to the United Kingdom to pursue higher education in Civil Engineering (1962-65) at the Enfield College of Technology, Middlesex. During this period of sandwich course of study, he received his practical training at the Essex River Board, Essex. On completion of his undergraduate studies, he worked for a brief period at Professor Colin Buchannan and Partners, Consulting Traffic Engineers and Planners and also at the City Engineer’s Department, Edinburgh as a Traffic Engineer.

Thereafter, he proceeded for postgraduate research studies and also on an academic career in the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Edinburgh, where he worked initially as a Research Assistant and subsequently as a Lecturer in Civil Engineering till 1970.

On his return to Sri Lanka, he worked at the State Engineering Corporation of Sri Lanka as a Senior Research Engineer for a brief period and then joined the Ceylon College of Technology in 1971 as a Senior Lecturer. Thereafter, was appointed as a Professor , elected as the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of University of Moratuwa and appointed by H.E. the President as the Vice Chancellor of the Open University of Sri Lanka December 1985 -1994 and subsequently as Vice Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa, September 1999 - 2005 and thereafter as the Chanceller of University of Vocaitional Technology as from 2012.

Professionally he has been the President of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka, Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Transport (Sri Lanka Section) and the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Association of the (UK) Institution of Civil Engineers (SLAICE) and also the Country Representative of the Institution of Civil Engineers, London. He is a Fellow of all these professional bodies.

Administratively, he has been the founder Chairman of the Tertiary & Vocational Education Commission (TVEC), Chairman, Institute for Construction Training and Development (ICTAD), Vice Chancellor of the Open University of Sri Lanka for a period of nine years (three terms), Secretary General of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) and as a UNDP/ILO Consultant in the setting up of a Technician Training Institute in Sri Lanka. In recognition of his achievements in distance education, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Open University UK, whose Vice Chancellor, Sir John Daniel in a citation stated that “Professor Wijeyesekera is one of the most dynamic University Heads in the world”. As at present, he is the first Sri Lankan to be appointed as a Vice Chancellor for a second occasion in two different Universities for an unprecedented period of 15 years as a Vice Chancellor in Sri Lanka.

He holds 4 Doctorates and is a Fellow of 6 Professional Bodies and has been a Past President of 3 of them.

He is married to Carmaline and from his late wife, Nelun who was a medical graduate of the University of Edinburgh, he has two sons, who are overseas having graduated in the fields of Environmental Sciences and Finance respectively.