Office Address	Department of Classical Languages Faculty of Arts University of Peradeniya Peradeniya 20400 Sri Lanka.
	Email	rohana.seneviratne@arts.pdn.ac.lk
	Telephone	0094 81 239 2526
	Personal Website	~

Educational & Professional Qualifications

DPhil in Oriental Studies: Sanskrit (Oxford) 2016 MPhil in Philosophy (Liverpool) 2010 BA Hons. in Sanskrit (Peradeniya) 2005

Positions Held (selected)

2018 June - 2021 May: Head of Department, Department of Classical Languages, Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya. 2017 May - 2020 May: Co-editor, The Sri Lanka Journal of the Humanities, University of Peradeniya. 2016 June - 2020 May: Postgraduate Academic Program Coordinator (Sanskrit,) PGHIS, University of Peradeniya. 2005 July - 2007 August: Assistant Lecturer in Sanskrit (Fulltime), Department of Classical Languages, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. 2005 June - 2005 July: Tutor in Sanskrit (Fulltime), Department of Classical Languages, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.

Academic Awards, Grants, and Recognitions (selected)

2015 - Boden Fund Scholarship (full scholarship for the duration of fourth year of doctoral studies), Oriental Institute, University of Oxford, UK. 2015 - Wilhelm Fellowship from Intercollegiate Sri Lanka Education (ISLE) Program, Bowdoin College, USA. 2015 - Postgraduate Funding from the National Centre for Advanced Studies in Humanities & Social Sciences (NCAS), Sri Lanka. 2012 - Saraswati Sanskrit Prize (2012) - Jointly instituted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), India and the Department of Cultural and Religious History of South Asia (Classical Indology), Heidelberg University, Germany. 2013 - Ramiah Alagappan Bursary, Oxford Center for Hindu Studies, University of Oxford, UK. 2013 - Graduate Scholarship, Pembroke College, University of Oxford, UK. 2012 - Bharat Amin Bursary, Oxford Center for Hindu Studies, University of Oxford, UK. 2011 - 2014 - Commonwealth Postgraduate Scholarship tenable at the University of Oxford, UK. 2009 - Research Student Overseas Travel Grant, Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool, UK. 2007 - 2010  - Overseas Research Student Award Scheme (ORSAS) Award from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), tenable at the University of Liverpool, UK. 2007 - 2009 - Home Student Tuition Fee Waiver Grant and Maintenance Allowance, University of Liverpool, UK. 2007 - International Advancement Award and Accommodation Fee Voucher, University of Liverpool, UK. 2005 - Dr. Edmond Hewavitharana Memorial Prize for the Best Performance in Sanskrit (Most Meritorious), Annual Convocation, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. 2005 - University Scholarship to the Best summa cum laude student (aka. University Prize for Academic Excellence), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. 2003 - First Prize for the Best Academic Speech at the International Students' Speech Contest in Japanese, Saga University, Japan. 2002 - 2003 - Annual Scholarship awarded by the Saga University, Saga Prefecture, Japan to the most meritorious sophomore student at the University of Peradeniya (2002), tenable at the Saga University, Japan for SPACE (Saga University Program for Academic Exchange).

Foreign Conferences and Workshops Attended (selected)

2013 June - Oxford Early Modern South Asia Workshop ‘Discipline, Sect, Lineage and Community: Scholar Intellectuals in India, c. 1500-1800’, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, UK. 2012 August - Saraswati Sanskrit prize presentation session - Südasien-Institut (SAI), Heidelberg University, Germany 2012 May - Global Scholars Symposium 2012, Rhodes House, University of Oxford, UK. 2012 March - 37th Spalding Symposium, Merton College, University of Oxford, UK. 2012 January - April - Spoken Sanskrit Workshop Series conducted by Prof. Mudumby Narasinhachari, Oxford Center for Hindu Studies, University of Oxford, UK. 2012 January - 15th World Sanskrit Conference, Vignana Bhavan, New Delhi, India. 2009 October - The Series of Seminars conducted by Prof. Arvind Sharma on the Authority of the Vedas, Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool, UK 2009 September - 14th World Sanskrit Conference, Kyoto University, Japan 2009 July - The Sanskrit Tradition in the Modern World (STIMW), Conference, University of Manchester, UK 2009 March - Annual Graduate Conference, Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool, UK 2009 January - Small Group Teaching Workshop, Graduate School Skills Programme, University of Liverpool, UK 2008 November - Information Skills workshop for Research Postgraduates, Graduate School Skills Programme, University of Liverpool, UK 2008 July - The Sanskrit Tradition in the Modern World (STIMW) at the 20th European Conference on Modern South Asian Studies, University of Manchester, UK 2008 June - Philosophy as Therapeia: Perspectives from India and Europe, Royal Institute of Philosophy Conference, University of Liverpool, UK 2008 April - Annual Graduate Conference, Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool, UK 2008 March - Research Skills workshop for Humanities Research Postgraduates, Graduate School Skills Programme, University of Liverpool, UK 2007 October - Publishing workshop with Josie Dixon, Graduate School Skills Programme, University of Liverpool, UK

Research Interests

Philosophy of Grammar, Sanskrit Linguistics, Indic Semantics and Pragmatics, Vedic & Classical Sanskrit Grammar

Research Publications (selected)

2017 - “Apropos the Buddha's Omniscience as elaborated in the Early Buddhist Texts of Theravada Tradition: A Brief Critique”, Girihisa, Essays in honour of most. Ven. senior professor Kandegoda Wimaladhamma thera. Kelaniya: Department of Philosophy, University of Kelaniya. pp. 193-218. (in Sinhala). 2012 - “surabhāratīvaraṇārthamahārṇavabinduḥ svopajñayā rohaṇottejanīsamākhyayā laghuvyākhyayā samullasitaḥ” [a short poem of 35 verses in Śārdūlavikrīḍita metre) with self-commentary titled Rohaṇottejanī ]. (in Sanskrit). In: Saṃskṛtapratibhā, (Sahitya Akademi's Half-yearly Journal), Vols. 43 - 47 (April 2010 - December 2012). Edited by Prof. Radhavallabha Tripathi. pp. 153 - 171. 2011 - "Seeing is Believing thence Knowing", Annual Journal of the Bhikku Society, University of Sri Jayawardhenapura, Sri Lanka. 2008 - “Varuṇa, the Guardian of Morality in the Ṛgveda”, Philologos: Essays presented in Felicitation of Merlin Peris, Emeritus Professor of Western Classics, University of Peradeniya (ed. Chandima S. M. Wickramasinghe), Colombo: Godage International. 269 - 311. 2007 - “Mahābhārata and Mahā Bhārata: The Epic and the Land it belongs to”, Næṇalakara, A Festschrift to Rev. Wattegama Dhammavasa (ed. Rev. H. Piyaratana & Rev. D. Dhammavijaya), Sri Gñānālaṅkāra Bikkhu Training Centre and Pirivena, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. 237 - 260. (in Sinhala). 2006 - “Rereading Sāyana: A Critical Study of the Commentary on the Hiraṇyagarbha Hymn (10.121) in the Ṛgveda”, Journal of the Sri Lanka Oriental Studies Society (Golden Jubilee Volume). Colombo: Oriental Studies Society. 122 - 148. (in Sinhala). 2006 - “Insights into a Few Phonetic Laws in Sanskrit Linguistics”, Journal of the Sri Lanka Oriental Studies Society, Colombo: Ministry of Education. 40 - 64. (in Sinhala). 2005 - “Samavāya-sambandha alias Organic Unity: An Aesthetic Outlook”, Journal of the Sri Lanka Oriental Studies Society, Colombo: Oriental Studies Society. 116 - 136. (in Sinhala). 2005 - “Some Theoretical Contradictions in the Classical Sanskrit Literature”, Bhārataśāstrīya Dāyāda: Journal of Indian Cultural Heritage, (ed. By Dr. Rev. W. Pemaratana) Colombo: Samayawardhana. 129 - 151. (in Sinhala). Paścāt Kālidāsa samayē Saṃskṛta mahākāvya sāhityaya. Colombo: Godage. 2005 (in Sinhala) 2002 - “The Role of Prose-Poetry in Classical Sanskrit Literature”, Sambhāṣā, Vol. 13, Colombo: Ministry of Education. 158 – 198. (in Sinhala).

Invited Talks and Conference Presentations (selected)

2017 September - "Research Methodology for Humanities", Buddhist and Pali University, Homagama. 2016 October - "Humanities Research :Today and Tomorrow", Buddhasravaka Bhikkhu University, Anuradhapura. 2013 August - “Translating Sanskrit: limits and challenges” (saṃskṛtānuvādakārye maryādā bādhanāśca). Delivered in Sanskrit. South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg, Germany. 2013 March - “Learning Sanskrit for today” (arvācīnasamāje devavāṇyadhyayanasya prāsaṅgikatā). Acceptance speech of Saraswati Sanskrit Prize 2012. Delivered in Sanskrit. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Azad Bhavan, New Delhi. 2012 August - “Why should we study Sanskrit?” (kimarthaṃ saṃskṛtam adhīmahe). Delivered in Sanskrit. South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg, Germany. 2012 March - “Divine, panacean & emancipative water in Vedic religion”, 37th Spalding Symposium, Merton College, University of Oxford, UK. 2012 January - “The Indivisibility Thesis (akhaṇḍapakṣavāda) as expounded in Bhartṛhari’s Philosophy of Grammar”. 15th World Sanskrit Conference, Vignana Bhavan, New Delhi, India. 2009 June - “Bhartṛhari’s Philosophy of Grammar and his Construal of the Sentential Meaning”, India in the World Research Centre (IWRC), University of Liverpool, UK. 2009 September - “Hack thy Śepha - Crush thy Muṣka: Threats from the Atharvaveda”. 14th World Sanskrit Conference, Kyoto University, Japan. 2009 March - “Nāntarīyaka (unavoidable element) and prayojaka (intended element) as in Bhartṛhari's explanation of the vākya”. Annual Graduate Conference, Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool, UK. 2008 April - “Bhartṛhari on the Meaning of Silence”. Annual Graduate Conference, Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool, UK. 2007 June - “Philosophizing Pronominal Paradigmatic Permutations: A Brief Reading of Anaphoric Referencing in Sanskrit Syntax”. Peradeniya University Research Sessions (PURSE), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. 2007 February - “A Philosophical Inquiry into Syntactic Ellipsis”. Annual Research Symposium, Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. 2006 May - “The Sanskrit Diminutive Suffix ‘-ka’: A Philological and Philosophical Reading”. Peradeniya University Research Sessions (PURSE), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. 2006 January - “Literary Conventions in the Classical Sanskrit Literature”. 10th Anniversary International Symposium, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka. 2005 March - “Meaning Acquisition as per Nyāya Philosophers”. Annual Research Symposium, Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.