This is a list of notable University of Peradeniya people. This includes distinguished alumni of various fields and distinguished faculty people.
Siri Gunasinghe was a Sri Lankan academic, poet, Sanskritist, art historian, author and filmmaker. He played a crucial role in honing the creativity of free Sinhala poetry. Gunasinghe was one of the most important advocates of the use of spoken language instead of the literary language in Sinhalese literature.
The University of Peradeniya is a public university in Sri Lanka, funded by the University Grants Commission. It is the largest university in Sri Lanka, which was originally established as the University of Ceylon in 1942. The university was officially opened on 20 April 1954, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II, by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Professor Samuel Ratnajeevan Herbert Hoole is a Sri Lankan Tamil engineer and academic. He was a member of the Election Commission of Sri Lanka.
Wijesinghe Sugathadasa Karunaratne was a Buddhist scholar. He was affectionately known by the Sri Lankan masses as "W. S." and as "The Don" by the academia.
The Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka is a public university in Belihuloya, Balangoda, Sri Lanka. It was founded on 20 November 1991 and consists of Nine faculties.
Kusuma Karunaratne nee Ediriweera Jayasooriya is a Sri Lankan academic, university administrator, Professor and scholar of Sinhalese language and literature.
Senesh Dissanaike Bandara Ph.D, MA, BA (Hons.) සෙනේෂ් දිසානායක බණ්ඩාර is a film director and a television drama director in Sri Lanka. His first film Aadaraneeya Wassaanaya in 2004 was screened for more than 100 days island wide.
Wijesinghe Jayaweera Mudiyanselage Lokubandara, was a Sri Lankan politician who was Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2010 and Governor of Sabaragamuwa Province from 2010 to 2015. He was a lawyer by profession, and wrote books, poems, and songs. He held several ministries in the government of Sri Lanka before his appointment as Speaker of the House.
Vikramabahu Karunaratne was a Sri Lankan scientist and politician. He was a candidate in the 2010 Sri Lankan presidential election.
Henry Alfred Ian Goonetilleke was a director of the University of Peradeniya library, the first chairman of the Gratiaen Trust and an eminent scholar in Sri Lanka.
The main campus of University of Peradeniya is in Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. It has an additional sub-campus in Mahailuppallama, North Central province. Other than that, several farms and agriculture-related institutions operate off the main campus and the sub-campus.
Inter-University Students' Federation is a confederation of students' unions across Sri Lanka. Around 70 students' unions are affiliated with the confederation, accounting for more than 95% of all higher and further education unions in Sri Lanka. The IUSF is the organization that is given leadership to whole university students in Sri Lanka. It is the largest student organization in Sri Lanka to date. It represents the voice of student councils and action committees in 15 higher education institutes including all major universities and technical colleges in Sri Lanka.
Karuna Nayaka Ovitigalage Dharmadasa is one of the pioneers of linguistics in Sri Lanka and scholar of international repute. He is Professor Emeritus, and the former Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
Herath Mudiyanselage Charitha Herath is current member of Parliament from National List, Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE). and the Professor of Philosophy at the University of Peradeniya. His appointment was valid from 21 June 2019. Chair Professorship of Philosophy at Peradeniya has been one of the well established academic position. He is the former Permanent secretary of the Ministry of Mass Media and Information in Sri Lanka and former chairman of the Central Environment Authority. Herath's academic interests are mainly based on Contemporary Analytical Philosophy and his research focused on Later Wittgenstein's Philosophy and the Environmental Ethics. He was the Head of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Peradeniya from 2016 to 2018.
Mohamed Mujithaba Mohamed Najim is the fourth Vice Chancellor of the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka since June 2015. He is the youngest Vice Chancellor appointed to the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka. He is a Professor in Environmental Conservation and Management attached to the Department of Zoology and Environmental Management, University of Kelaniya and has done extraordinary service to Sri Lanka as an Environmentalist. He was awarded many presidential awards for the scientific research he has done on water resources management.
The H.A.I. Goonetileke Prize for Literary Translation is a bi-annual literary prize in Sri Lanka. It is awarded by the Gratiaen Trust, which also awards the Gratiaen Prize, for the translation of Sinhala or Tamil language creative writing into English. It was established in 2003.