 Honours degrees covering chemistry, physics and mathematics.He won the Dr. Hewavitharana Memorial Prize for best performance for his physics special degree in 1975, and joined the academic staff of the Physics Department in the Science Faculty at the University of Peradeniya.After winning an open commonwealth scholarship in 1977, he completed his Ph.D. thesis in 1980, under the supervision of the late Sir Gareth Roberts and M. Petty, at the University of Durham (UK), before returning to his post in Sri Lanka.