Emeritus Professor Colin Nisantha Peiris, PhD, DSc

He received education at Royal College, Colombo and entered the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya in 1975. He completed the BSc in Agriculture and admitted to the permanent staff of the Faculty of Agriculture, Peradeniya in 1980. Then he proceeded to the Pennsylvania State University in USA and completed the MSc and PhD in 1986. He also secured the Overseas Technical Trainers Certificate on Teaching Methods for University Teachers from the University of Wolverhampton, UK and the Diploma in External Quality Assurance for Higher Education for Asia Pacific Countries from UNESCO/IIEP in France.

The Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, conferred Prof. Colin N. Peiris with the Degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) (Honoris Causa) for his pioneering and outstanding contribution in National and International dissemination of knowledge in Quality Assurance in Higher Education.

He served at the University of Peradeniya as an academic for 35 years in capacities of a Senior Professor, the Head of Department, Chairman of the Teaching Methodology Unit, and finally as the Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture. During his illustrious career as an academic, Professor Peiris supervised 28 postgraduate students in universities in Sri Lanka and three postgraduate students in universities overseas. He has many publications in the disciplines Agriculture, Horticulture and Quality Assurance in HE. Professor Peiris is a researcher of stature to win many academic awards to his credit.

Prof Colin Peiris held positions as the Director of the Affiliated University College of Uva Province in Rahangala in 1994 and the Director of the Quality Assurance and Accreditation Council of the University Grants Commission from 2009 to 2015. He was the first Vice-Chancellor of the Horizon Campus, Malabe. He served as the Director, QA at NSBM and a national / international Consultant in QA

Professor Colin Peiris has an outstanding national and international contribution in promoting quality and excellence in higher education. The development of the Sri Lanka Qualifications Framework and assisting in its implementation was a positive attempt at synergizing the efforts of education reforms at the national level.

He held prestigious positions in numerous international bodies. He was invited to the Board of Directors of Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN) also served in the Board of Directors of International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE). He was awarded Quality Champion award for the year 2014 by APQN and also received the best Training and Support of Reviewers Award in 2015.

His current positions held in the quality assurance include council membership at the Asia Pacific Quality Register Council (APQR) and Director of Academic Development and Quality Assurance at Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT).

Honorary Doctorate (2017)

Doctor of Science (DSc)

Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka

Postgraduate (1981-1986)

M.Sc. (Agronomy) 1981-1983

Ph.D  (Agronomy) 1984-1986

The Pennsylvania State University          

University Park, PA 16802, USA

Undergraduate (1975-1979)

B.Sc. (Agriculture)

University of Peradeniya

Certificate (1992)

Overseas Technical Trainers Certificate: Teaching Methods for University Teachers,

University of Wolverhampton, UK

Diploma (2007)

Diploma in External Quality Assurance for Higher Education for Asia Pacific Countries                                                                                              UNESCO/IIEP, France

- International Award for Innovations in Quality Assurance – 2012 – Asia Pacific Quality Network – Joint Award with Ms. Samanthi Wickramasinghe

- International Award as the Quality Champion in Asia Pacific Region – 2013 – Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN)

- Best Internal Quality Assurance Award – as a Consultant to South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM), Sri Lanka – 2013 – Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN)

- Best Internal Quality Assurance Award – as the Chairman of IQAU, Horizon Campus, Sri Lanka – 2014 – Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN)

- Best Reviewer Trainer in the Asia Pacific Region - 2014– Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN)

-  Adjudge Best Research Paper at the 11th Australasian Plant Breeding Conference, Cairns, Australia, 2009, Paper titled “Production of Tomato Purelines using Classical and Molecular Breeding Techniques”

- Adjudged FIRST in the category of presentations by Postgraduates at the Annual Research, Sessions, 1998 of the University of Peradeniya, Paper titled “Protected Culture for Yield Stability and High Quality of Tomato under Different Weather and Agro-climatic Conditions”  

- Adjudged FIRST in the category of presentations by Senior Researchers at the Annual Research Sessions, 1998 of the University of Peradeniya, Paper titled “ Low cost Micropropagation for its Domestication”

- Adjudged FIRST of presentations of postgraduate at the 9th Annual Congress (1997)of the Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture, Sri Lanka, Paper titled “ Yield and Quality of Tomato as Affected by Rainfall During Different Growth Stages”.

- Adjudged FIRST of presentations of postgraduate at the 8th Annual Congress (1996) of the Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture, Sri Lanka, Paper Titled “ Biodiversity of Fruits and other Tree Species in the Huruluwewa Watershed with Emphasis on their Economic Utility”.

- Adjudged FIRST of presentations of postgraduate at the 6th Annual Congress (1994) of the Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture, Sri Lanka, Paper titled “Effect of Harvesting Stage and Storage Conditions on Storage Life of Okra”.