Stanley Wijesundera was a Sri Lankan academic. A professor of Chemistry, he was the first vice chancellor of the University of Colombo from 1979 to 1989 and was the chairman of the Association of Commonwealth Universities from 1983 to 1984. He was born in Kandy, and educated at Trinity College, Dharmaraja College and Ananda College. Entering the University of Ceylon he studied at both the Colombo campus and Peradeniya campus graduating with a BSc (Honours) in Chemistry. Going on to the University of London he gained his MSc and DSc and his PhD from the University of Oxford.