Sri Lanka’s first female engineer, Dr Premala Sivaprakasapillai Sivasegaram, entered engineering when the profession was still widely regarded as unsuitable for women.

She was not joining a path already made easier by generations of female professionals. She was entering university workshops, laboratories, surveying classes and construction environments in which women were almost entirely absent.

Her response to that challenge was not simply to complete the degree.

She graduated with First Class Honours, pursued doctoral studies at Oxford, became Sri Lanka’s first female Chief Structural Engineer and contributed to public engineering, professional publishing and technical education.

Her achievement is important because she was both Sri Lanka’s first woman engineer and its first woman civil engineer.

But her story is more than a record of firsts.

It is a story about family support, academic discipline, professional courage and the lasting effect one woman can have on an entire field.

1942
Born on 22 April in Jaffna
1964
Graduated with First Class Honours in civil engineering — Sri Lanka’s first woman engineer
1969
Completed DPhil in engineering science at Somerville College, University of Oxford
1978
Became Sri Lanka’s first female Chief Structural Engineer
2015
Received Excellence in Engineering Award from the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka
2019
Recognised by the Parliament of Sri Lanka among 12 Sri Lankan women changemakers

Who Was Sri Lanka’s First Female Engineer?

Dr Premala Sivaprakasapillai Sivasegaram is officially recognised by the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka as the country’s first woman engineer and first woman civil engineer.

She graduated from the University of Ceylon in 1964 with First Class Honours in civil engineering.

At the time, there was no established pathway for a Sri Lankan woman entering the profession. She had no previous generation of women engineers to guide her through academic training, construction-site responsibilities or government engineering service.

Her success therefore carried significance beyond her personal career.

It demonstrated that women could meet the same academic, technical and practical standards expected of men. It also created an example for the Sri Lankan women who would later enter civil, mechanical, electrical and other engineering disciplines.

A Family Connected to Engineering

Premala Sivaprakasapillai was born on 22 April 1942 in Jaffna.

Her family had been living in Colombo, where her father, T. Sivaprakasapillai, worked as a civil engineer at the Colombo Harbour. During the Second World War, the family temporarily moved north because of fears surrounding a possible attack on Colombo.

Premala was born while the family was staying at her maternal granduncle’s residence within Jaffna Fort. They returned to Colombo a few months later.

Her father later became closely connected to engineering education at the University of Ceylon and was among the early educators who helped develop university-level engineering studies in the country.

Technical curiosity was encouraged within the household.

Premala’s mother also showed an aptitude for technical drawing. When the family home was being planned, she helped draw the design on squared paper under her husband’s guidance.

Premala’s two brothers, Brahman and Pratab, also pursued engineering. One studied mechanical engineering and the other electrical engineering. All three siblings earned First Class engineering degrees before completing doctorates at British universities.

Premala’s interest in construction appeared early. Alongside music and dance, she enjoyed using Meccano sets to assemble structures and mechanical forms.

Her childhood interests show that girls do not have to fit into one narrow category. Creativity, femininity, mathematics and technical ability can exist comfortably within the same person.

Dr Premala Sivaprakasapillai Sivasegaram with her father Prof Thambyahpillai Sivaprakasapillai – University of Peradeniya

Education at Ladies’ College

Premala attended Ladies’ College in Colombo.

She demonstrated particular strength in mathematics and was reportedly one of only two girls in her group who selected the mathematics stream.

At the time, girls who pursued higher education were more commonly encouraged towards medicine, teaching or law. Engineering was viewed as physically demanding, industrial and inappropriate for women.

Premala chose it nevertheless.

Some relatives and people within the wider social circle questioned the decision. Her parents, however, supported her academic interests and did not allow those objections to close the opportunity.

That support became one of the foundations of her success.

Her story therefore contains an important lesson for families: encouraging a girl’s ability can have consequences far beyond one household. By supporting Premala’s choice, her parents helped make a national milestone possible.

She did not wait until everyone agreed that engineering was an acceptable career for a woman. She developed the knowledge, practical ability and professional confidence required to belong there.

Sri Lanka's First Female Engineer — Satynmag

Entering the University of Ceylon

Premala entered the University of Ceylon in 1960.

She first completed a general science year before entering the Faculty of Engineering in Colombo. She was the only woman among approximately 60 engineering students.

Her admission was questioned by people who doubted whether a woman could manage workshop practice, surveying, construction training and other practical requirements.

Premala later recalled that the Dean of the Engineering Faculty, E. O. E. Pereira, was not supportive of women entering the programme. One concern was that women might occupy limited university places and later leave the profession after marriage.

The objection was raised with her father, but her family remained committed to her education.

Premala had not selected engineering to prove a temporary point.

She intended to qualify and work as an engineer.

Training at the “Takaran Faculty”

The Faculty of Engineering was then operating from temporary buildings on the university’s Colombo campus.

Because of the corrugated metal roofing, students informally called it the “Takaran Faculty”.

Lectures, surveying and technical drawing were conducted there, while workshop training took place at the Ceylon Technical College in Maradana.

Students worked with materials and developed practical skills in areas such as carpentry, metalwork and welding. Premala chose civil engineering from the civil, mechanical and electrical options available.

Although she encountered doubts about whether a woman could manage practical engineering work, her male classmates generally accepted her as part of the group.

She completed the same technical and workshop requirements as the other students. The hands-on knowledge she developed later helped her communicate effectively with construction workers and experienced craftspeople.

Premala understood that engineering knowledge did not come only from textbooks or senior titles. Practical workers could offer important insights into materials, techniques and real construction conditions.

That willingness to listen strengthened rather than reduced her professional authority.

Graduating With First Class Honours

In 1964, Premala graduated with First Class Honours in civil engineering.

This made her the first woman to graduate in engineering in Sri Lanka and the country’s first female civil engineer.

The result directly challenged the assumptions that had surrounded her admission.

She had completed the academic programme, handled its practical requirements and achieved one of its highest classifications.

After graduation, she was appointed as an instructor in the Faculty of Engineering.

When the faculty moved to its permanent facilities in Peradeniya in October 1964, she helped establish and arrange equipment in the fluid mechanics laboratory.

The student whose presence had once been questioned was now contributing to the learning environment of future engineers.

✦ First Class Honours

Premala’s First Class result directly challenged every assumption that had surrounded her admission. She had completed the academic programme, handled its practical requirements and achieved one of its highest classifications — before going on to Oxford.

Completing a DPhil at Oxford

Premala later received a Ceylon Government University Scholarship for postgraduate study in Britain.

She pursued a DPhil in engineering science at Somerville College, University of Oxford, completing it in 1969 before building her career in structural engineering.

Her time in Britain also connected her with women in technical professions internationally.

In 1967, she attended the International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists in Cambridge and chaired one of its sessions. This placed her within a growing global conversation about women’s contribution to science and engineering.

She also gained professional experience at the Central Designs Office of Britain’s Ministry of Public Building and Works.

By the end of this period, she was not only Sri Lanka’s pioneering woman engineering graduate. She was also a highly qualified engineering professional with international academic and workplace experience.

Returning to Sri Lanka

Premala married Sivasegaram in December 1968. He later became a respected academic in mechanical engineering.

Their son was born while they were living abroad.

She returned to Sri Lanka in April 1970, when her baby was approximately six months old, to fulfil the public-service obligations attached to her government scholarship.

The return was professionally necessary, but personally difficult. She had wanted more time at home with her young child.

This part of her story reflects a challenge that continues to affect professional women: significant career milestones often take place alongside caregiving responsibilities and limited institutional flexibility.

Premala resumed work and began serving within the government buildings sector in Kandy.

Her first independently supervised building assignment was a medical drug store in Matale for the Ministry of Health.

The work required technical planning, site supervision, communication with construction teams and the confidence to establish professional credibility in an environment unaccustomed to women engineers.

Becoming Chief Structural Engineer

Premala was later transferred to the Structural Designs Office in Colombo.

In 1978, she became Sri Lanka’s first female Chief Structural Engineer.

This marked an important progression from pioneering student to senior technical professional within the country’s public engineering service.

During her time at the Structural Designs Office, she worked within the department responsible for major public projects including the National Archives, National Library and Police Headquarters.

Her personal involvement with the National Archives project is particularly well documented.

Her work also extended into institutional and professional responsibilities. She served on committees connected to areas such as construction, housing, local government and technical standards.

From 1977 to 1980, she edited the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka’s quarterly journal, Engineer. This placed her within the communication and development of professional engineering knowledge, not only its practical application.

An International Chapter

Against the background of the ethnic violence and instability of the early 1980s, Premala left Sri Lanka in 1985 to undertake a consultancy assignment in Barbados through the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation.

When the contract ended in 1988, she moved to London, where her husband was working at Imperial College.

She completed further management studies and worked with Britain’s Property Services Agency and Camden Council.

This period demonstrated her ability to transfer her engineering knowledge across different professional and national settings.

She had already established a senior career in Sri Lanka, but she adapted to new organisations, systems and working environments rather than allowing disruption to end her professional contribution.

Returning to Engineering Education

Premala returned permanently to Sri Lanka with her family in 1997.

She joined the Faculty of Engineering Technology at the Open University of Sri Lanka, where she contributed to engineering education and helped revise technical learning materials.

This work allowed her experience to reach students who were preparing to enter the profession decades after she had first opened its doors to Sri Lankan women.

She also continued to encourage younger engineers. In 2013, she delivered a motivational address to engineering students at the University of Jaffna.

Her contribution had moved through several stages: student, public-service engineer, structural engineering leader, international consultant and educator.

Each stage expanded the influence of the first decision she had made as a schoolgirl—to choose engineering.

Preserving Sri Lanka’s Engineering History

Premala also contributed to preserving the professional history of engineering in Sri Lanka.

In 2006, she compiled and guided the publication of History of Engineering in Sri Lanka: A Brief Overview for the centenary of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka.

The publication examined the country’s engineering development through areas such as ancient irrigation, cities, public works, industry, education and modern infrastructure.

This was a fitting contribution from someone whose own life had changed that history.

She was no longer only the subject of an important engineering milestone. She was helping document the wider profession for future generations.

Awards and Public Recognition

✦ Honours & Recognition

• 2000 — Elected Honorary Fellow of the Society of Structural Engineers Sri Lanka
• 2015 — Excellence in Engineering Award, Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka
• 2019 — Recognised by the Parliament of Sri Lanka among 12 Sri Lankan women changemakers
• 2024 — Served as chief guest at the IESL Women Engineers’ Day celebration

These honours acknowledged more than personal success.

Premala’s career changed public expectations about women’s ability to study engineering, supervise construction work, hold technical authority and contribute to national institutions.

What Is Dr Premala Sivasegaram Doing Now?

Publicly available records do not establish whether Dr Premala Sivasegaram currently holds a full-time professional or academic appointment.

She has, however, continued to participate in professional and public events.

In March 2024, she served as chief guest at the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka’s Women Engineers’ Day celebration. A 2024 newspaper profile also drew from a personal meeting and conversation with her in Colombo.

These appearances show that her experience continues to hold value for the engineering profession.

Her presence connects younger women engineers with a period when simply entering the faculty was an act of professional courage.

What Women Can Learn From Her Story

Premala Sivasegaram’s story offers lessons far beyond engineering.

• Courage must be supported by preparation. She studied seriously, completed demanding practical training, earned First Class Honours and continued into doctoral education.
• Family support matters. Her parents could not remove every obstacle, but they refused to become another obstacle themselves.
• Women do not need to wait until a field feels welcoming. Premala entered before attitudes had changed. Her achievement became part of what changed them.
• Careers do not move in a perfectly straight line. She balanced professional responsibility with motherhood, worked across several countries and later shifted from public engineering into education and professional history.
• Being first should create space for others. Her success did not remain an isolated achievement. It expanded what Sri Lankan families, universities and employers could imagine for women.

Why Women’s Participation Improves Engineering

Premala has argued that women’s participation improves engineering by bringing additional lived experiences into professional decision-making.

She has referred to areas such as roads, public transport and products or services that may affect women differently.

Engineering serves the entire public. Its decisions are therefore stronger when the people making them reflect a wider range of experiences.

Representation is not only about fairness.

It can also improve the questions professionals ask, the problems they identify and the solutions they create.

Premala proved that women could meet the technical demands of engineering. Her wider message is that the profession itself becomes stronger when women participate fully in shaping it.

Extra Reading: Another Woman Who Changed a Global Industry

Dr Premala Sivasegaram changed what Sri Lankan women could imagine within engineering.

For another story of education, strategic leadership and breaking professional barriers, read Satyn Circle’s feature on Indra Nooyi: PepsiCo’s First Female CEO.

Sri Lanka’s First Female Engineer as a Great Example

Sri Lanka’s first female engineer did more than enter a profession before other women.

Dr Premala Sivaprakasapillai Sivasegaram completed its demanding education, built a respected public-service career, became the country’s first female Chief Structural Engineer and later contributed to international consultancy, professional publishing and engineering education.

Her journey began with curiosity and family support, but it was sustained by discipline.

She did not wait until everyone agreed that engineering was an acceptable career for a woman. She developed the knowledge, practical ability and professional confidence required to belong there.

Premala was the first.

Her lasting achievement is that the path no longer ends with her.

✦ Her Lasting Achievement

Premala was the first. Her lasting achievement is that the path no longer ends with her.

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