Ven. Thimbiriwewa Sirisumana

Ven. Thimbiriwewa Sirisumana is a Senior Lecturer (Grade II) in the Department of Languages, Faculty of Languages and Cultural Studies, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka, and currently serves as Head of the Department of Languages. His academic specialization is Sinhala language and literature, with particular attention to classical literature, poetry and prose, classical text editing, and traditional Sinhala grammar. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Sinhala with First Class honours from the University of Colombo in 2017 and subsequently completed a Master of Philosophy in Sinhala at the same university. He also holds the Pracheena Pandit Degree awarded by the Oriental Studies Society of Sri Lanka.

His university teaching career includes service as a Temporary Lecturer in Sinhala at the University of Colombo, a Lecturer (Probationary) in Sinhala at the Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka, and a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Sinhala at the University of Colombo. Since July 2024, he has served as a Senior Lecturer in Sinhala at BUSL, and from December 2024 he has provided academic and administrative leadership as Head of the Department of Languages. His scholarly contributions include peer-reviewed research on classical Sinhala literary theory, realist literary criticism, and the textual heritage of Anuradhapura-period literature. He has also contributed to academic publishing as Editor-in-Chief of Prabhasa and as Language Editor of Pravacana. His conference work extends to Buddhist studies, including research on the Buddhist response to ethno-religious violence and a Buddhist perspective on euthanasia. His academic achievements include the Mahapola Higher Education Merit Scholarship and the Kala Bhushana Donu Devindu Mohotty Memorial Prize for outstanding performance in Sinhala at the University of Colombo.