Professor Priyantha Wijayatunga is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Statistics at Umeå University, Sweden. He earned his BSc (Special) in Mathematics with First Class Honours from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, in 1993, and subsequently obtained a Diploma in Mathematical Statistics from the University of Cambridge, UK, in 1998. He further advanced his education at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan, where he completed both his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Mathematical and Computing Sciences in 2004 and 2007, respectively. Following his doctoral studies, he undertook postdoctoral training in the Department of Computer Science at the same institution before joining Umeå University as a Lecturer in Statistics in 2008.

Professor Wijayatunga’s research focuses on mathematical statistics and its diverse applications, particularly in medicine and social sciences. His areas of expertise include measuring statistical dependencies, causal inference, prediction and classification, machine learning, and the exploration of probability puzzles and paradoxes. He is passionate about enhancing students’ critical thinking skills by training them to solve complex probability challenges, fostering a deeper understanding of statistical concepts.

With 26 years of teaching experience, Professor Wijayatunga has made significant contributions to the academic development of numerous students and has taught tutorials at international doctoral schools. His scholarly work includes 20 papers published in refereed journals, 2 editorials, and 11 discussions on papers by other researchers in major statistical journals. Professor Wijayatunga is dedicated to advancing the field of statistics through both research and education, inspiring the next generation of statisticians along the way.