Kshanika Hirimburegama

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Kshanika Hirimburegama

| image = Professor Kshanika Hirimburegama.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption =

| order = 17th Vice-chancellor -
University of Colombo

| office =

| term_start = 2 January 2008

| term_end = 31 January 2013

| predecessor = Prof. T. Hettiarachchy

| successor = Dr. W. K. Hirimburegama

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1958|1|1|df=y}}

| birth_place = Colombo, Sri Lanka

| death_date =

| death_place =

| alma_mater = Visakha Vidyalaya
University of Colombo
University of Peradeniya
Catholic University

| residence =

| profession = Academic, botanist

| spouse = Wijaya K. Hirimburegama

| children = 2

| website = |

}}

Sannas Mudiyanselage Kshanika Kumari Hirimburegama (known as Kshanika Hirimburegama) (born 1 January 1958) is a Sri Lankan academic. She was the 17th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Colombo. Prior to the appointment she was Head of the Department of Plant Sciences and a member of the University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka.{{Cite web |url=http://www.cmb.ac.lk/?page_id=180 |title=Professor Kshanika Hirimburegama is the Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo |access-date=2010-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616025259/http://www.cmb.ac.lk/?page_id=180 |archive-date=2010-06-16 |url-status=dead }} She vacated the position of Vice Chancellor when she assumed duties as the Chairperson of the University Grants Commission in 2013. She is the first lady Chairperson of the University Grants Commission in Sri Lanka. She was the Sri Lankan Ambassador France.

Early life and education

Hirimburegama was born and raised in Colombo, her parents were Professor P. B. Sannasgala, noted oriental scholar and Nalini Ratnayaka, daughter of Abeyratne Ratnayaka, first Cabinet Minister of Food, Co-operatives and later Minister of Home Affairs. She is the fourth out of five daughters born to the Sannasgala family. Her early education was at Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}

She entered University of Colombo in 1977 and specialised in Botany. She then entered the Post Graduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA), Peradeniya and passed out in 1985 with her Masters in Agricultural Sciences. In the same year she left for Belgium to join the Catholic University of Leuven for her PhD. Kshanika married Wijaya Hiriburegama in 1986 whom she met at University of Peradeniya.{{Cite web |url=https://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2008/11/16/spe04.asp |title=Work has been our passion, Sunday Observer 16 November 2008 |access-date=16 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016153254/http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2008/11/16/spe04.asp |archive-date=16 October 2012 |url-status=live }}

Academic career

She and her husband returned to Sri Lanka in 1989 and joined the Botany Department in Colombo University as a Senior Lecturer in January, 1990. She was later made the Head of the Plant Sciences Department before she was appointed Vice-chancellor in January, 2008.{{Cite web |url=https://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2008/11/16/spe04.asp |title=Work has been our passion, Sunday Observer 16 November 2008 |access-date=16 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016153254/http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2008/11/16/spe04.asp |archive-date=16 October 2012 |url-status=live }}