Janaka Yasantha Ruwanpura is a Professor of Project Management at the

Schulich School of Engineering The Schulich School of Engineering is the accredited engineering school of the University of Calgary located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It currently has 4,610 enrolled students (3,470 undergraduate and 1,140 graduate) and over 150 faculty memb ...

at the

University of Calgary {{Infobox university , name = University of Calgary , image = University of Calgary coat of arms without motto scroll.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , former ...

and the founding President of the Canadian Network of Sri Lankan Academics (launched in February 2024). He served as the Vice Provost and Associate Vice-President of Research (International) at the University of Calgary (equivalent to Pro-Vice-Chancellor in the English system) from September 1, 2020, until March 29, 2024. Previously, he was the Vice-Provost International from 2013 to 2020.

Early life and education

Janaka Yasantha Ruwanpura was born and raised in

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. He is the son of R.P. Sirisena, a Medical Superintendent, and Nanda Sirisena. Ruwanpura studied at

Nalanda College Colombo Nalanda College () is a Buddhist school in Sri Lanka that provides primary and secondary education for boys. Ruwanpura graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in Quantity Surveying with honors in 1992 from the

University of Moratuwa The University of Moratuwa (also referred as Moratuwa University) ( ''Moraṭuwa Wiśwawidyālaya'', ) is a public university in Sri Lanka. It is located on the bank of the Bolgoda Lake in Katubedda, Moratuwa, a suburb of Sri Lanka's capital C ...

, Sri Lanka. In 1992, he received the Professor H.P.S. Caldera Memorial Award and the Institute of Quantity Surveyors Award. From 1992 to 1995, Ruwanpura worked as a lecturer in Quantity Surveying at the

. He also worked as a quantity surveying consultant and served as the founding Manager of projects for QServe, a Quantity Surveying firm in Sri Lanka. In 1994, Ruwanpura received the U.S.

Fulbright Scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

and the President's Scholarship of Sri Lanka. In 1995, he accepted the U.S. Fulbright to pursue a Master of Science in Construction Management at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

and graduated in 1997. Ruwanpura completed his PhD at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

in Edmonton, Canada, working with Professor Simaan AbouRizk. Ruwanpura received an F.S. Chia PhD scholarship and obtained a PhD in Construction Engineering and Management in 2001.https://www.linkedin.com/in/prof-janaka-ruwanpura-phd-peng-6a118a5

Career

In 2001, Ruwanpura joined the

as an Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering, specializing in project management. He was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2006, and then to full professor in 2011. Elizabeth Cannon, then Dean of Engineering, nominated Ruwanpura as a Canada Research Chair in Project Management Systems in 2007, which was renewed in 2012 for another 5 years. He served as the Director of the Project Management Specialization since 2005 and became the founding director of the Centre for Project Management Excellence in the

in 2011. In 2013, Ruwanpura was appointed as the Vice-Provost International of the University of Calgary for a 5-year term. He resigned from the Canada Research Chair to accept this position. The University of Calgary re-appointed him for a second 5-year term as Vice-Provost International until June 2023. In 2020, the University of Calgary appointed him to be both the Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President of Research (International). Ruwanpura is a licensed professional engineer in Alberta and a professional quantity surveyor in Canada. He is a Chartered Member of the

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is a global professional body for those working in the Built Environment, Construction, Land, Property and Real Estate. The RICS was founded in London in 1868. It works at a cross-governmental ...

, UK (MRICS) and a Fellow of the Institute of Quantity Surveyors in Sri Lanka. He has been inducted as a fellow of the

Engineering Institute of Canada The Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC) ( French: l'Institut canadien des ingénieurs; ICI) is a federation of fourteen engineering societies based in Canada, covering a broad range of engineering branches, and with a history going back to 1887. ...

and other professional organizations. Ruwanpura was also a founding member and later a convenor of the International Institute for Infrastructure Resilience and Reconstruction. Ruwanpura has been elected as the executive chair of the Commission on International Initiatives Executive Committee. He is also a member of the Board of the Canadian Bureau for International Education.

Vice Provost International at the University of Calgary

As Vice Provost International at the University of Calgary, Ruwanpura led the international strategy. His activities in this role included launching IPARI, steering international dual-degree programs, securing major funding, and procuring grants for international study.

Awards and recognition

Ruwanpura developed i-Booth, which has been commercialized. He has published over 180 technical articles. He has delivered 15 keynote speeches and over 200 presentations and workshops. He has received several awards and honors, including many from the University of Calgary. In 2022, he was a winner of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards selected by ''

Canadian Immigrant ''Canadian Immigrant'' is a free monthly magazine and daily website for recent arrivals to Canada. The properties are owned by Torstar, and are currently published by Metroland Media Group, with print distribution throughout British Columbia, Albe ...

''.

Personal life

Janaka lives in Calgary with his wife Senani and son Seniru. His son, Seniru Ruwanpura, graduated with a software engineering degree from the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary.

References

General references

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruwanpura, Janaka Sri Lankan Buddhists Sinhalese people Sri Lankan academics Alumni of Nalanda College, Colombo Canadian people of Sri Lankan descent Sri Lankan expatriate academics Expatriate academics in Canada