Tilak Hewawasam was born in Kandy and received his primary and secondary education from the Dharmaraja College, Kandy. He graduated from the University of Peradeniya in 1994 with a Second Class (Upper Division) specializing in Geology. Upon graduation, he was recruited to the National Institute of Fundamental Studies (NIFS) as a Junior Researcher where he carried out research on the genesis of phosphate deposits in Sri Lanka. In 1996, he completed his MPhil degree in Geology at the University of Peradeniya. After the successful completion of his contract at the NIFS, he was selected as a Lecturer in Geology to the Faculty of Applied Sciences, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka. In 2003, he completed his PhD at the University of Berne, Switzerland and resumed duties at the Sabaragamwa University and was promoted to the post of Senior Lecturer. In 2010, he received an Academic Fellowship from the Commonwealth Commission of UK to follow a postdoctoral research at the University of Glasgow. In 2011, he was awarded a DAAD Fellowship from the German Federal Government to undertake postdoctoral studies. In 2013, he was recruited to the Department of Geography, University of Peradeniya to the post of Senior Lecturer. In 2015, he was granted the merit promotion to the post of Professor in Geology at the same Department. Then, in 2023, he was promoted as a Senior Professor in Geology. Presently, Tilak Hewawasam serves as a Senior Professor at the Department of Geography and as the Director of the Center for Environmental Sustainability (CES) (https://ces.pdn.ac.lk/Home.html) of the University of Peradeniya. He has been awarded the title of Chartered Geologist by the Institute of Geology, Sri Lanka (IGSL).
