Mrs.Ajiththa Suganthan

Mrs.Ajiththa Suganthan

Fulbright Scholar

Lecturer (Probationary) in Archaeology

email – ajiththa.suganthan@fulbrightmail.org

  • PhD in History and Ethnography of Religions (in progress) at Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
  • Master of Arts in History & criticism of Art: Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies (2021-2023) at FSU, USA (3.925 out of 4)
  • PhD in History and Ethnography of Religions (in progress) at Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
  • Master of Arts in History & criticism of Art: Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies (2021-2023) at FSU, USA (3.925 out of 4)
  • Fulbright Program: English for Graduate Studies, University of Arkansas – Spring International Language Center (2021), University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
  • TOEFL iBT & GRE (100/120 & 334/340) “internet-based test” The Educational Testing Service (ETS) in New Jersey, USA (2021)
  • Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology (2010-2015), University of Jaffna, NP, Sri Lanka (3.77 out of 4)

 

1.Graduate Teaching Assistant, College of Arts and Sciences, Florida State University, from August 2023-Present
2. Intern at Southeast Archaeological Center, US Department of State, Innovation Park, Tallahassee, FL, under Mr. Hank Kratt (Supervisory Museum Specialist at SEAC) during the Fall of 2022 and Spring of 2023, working with the metal rehousing project and numbering the Native American potteries.
3. Lecturer in Archaeology, Department of History, University of Jaffna, since 3rd December 2018- Present
4.Archaeological Graduate Trainee at Central Cultural Fund, Jaffna Project, Sri Lanka, from August 2016 to August 2018.
5.Temporary Assistant Lecturer in Archaeology, Department of History, University of Jaffna, from September 2015 to June 2016.

Research Project: Archaeological Excavations

  • Archaeologist and Artifacts recorder in Ānaikoddai Archaeological investigation in Jaffna, Northern Sri Lanka, supported by the Tamil Heritage Center in London Grant, the team headed by Professor P. Pushparatnam, from June 20th to July 25th,2024.
  • Involved in Archaeological excavation at Kantharodai, Jaffna, collaborated with the Australian Archaeology team headed by Professor Barbara Helwing, The University of Sydney, Australia, in 2019
  • Involved in the excavation at the Jaffna Fort in collaboration with the UK Archaeology team headed by Professor Robin Coningham, Department of Archaeology, Durham University, UK, organized by the Central Cultural Fund, Government of Sri Lanka, in 2017 and 2018.

Research Project: Museum, conservation, and Preservation.

Research: Peer-reviewed journals

  • Suganthan, Ajiththa (2024) “Devotional Fanscapes: Bollywood Star Deities, Devotee-Fans, and Cultural Politics in India and Beyond,” Journal of Religion & Film: Vol. 28: Iss. 2, Article 20.
    DOI:https://doi.org/10.32873/uno.dc.jrf.28.02.20
  • Suganthan, Ajiththa, and Pushparatnam, P. (2023). Integrative Approaches in Archaeology: The Imperative for Multidisciplinary Research. Nāgānanda International Journal of Humanities and Social Science.1:1, Pp.1-13
  • Suganthan, Ajiththa. (2023). Some considerations on what we know about Dutch colonial architecture in general, and in Sri Lanka specifically: The Kruys church at Jaffna Fort. Archaeology: South Asian Journal of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
  • Suganthan, Ajiththa. (2022). Pre-colonial Monuments in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Nagananda International Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences.

Conferences and Symposia

  • Suganthan, Ajiththa. (2025). “Palimpsests: Material Religion and Political Archaeology at Kurunthaloor Vihara, Sri Lanka.” Paper presented at the AAR Southeast Regional Conference (AARSE 2025), held at Florida Memorial University–Florida International University (FMU-FIU), March 8, 2025. Panel: Space and Place in Religions of Asia.
  • Suganthan, Ajiththa. (2024) “Serpent Deities (Nagas)in Ancient Sri Lanka: Evidence from the Kaddukarai Excavation. In the conference “More-than-human Religion: Indigeneity, Objects, and Ecologies” at Florida State University
  • Suganthan, Ajiththa. (2020). Painting and Its Special Preservation Activities – Based on Sigiriya Painting. In National Research Symposium: Role of The Arts in Multi-Cultural Environment, held on 23rd January 2020 at Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies, Eastern University, Sri Lanka, Kallady, Batticaloa.
  • Suganthan, Ajiththa. (2017). Role and significance in preserving Manuscripts of Siddha Medicine found during the Jaffna Kingdom Period. National Archaeological Symposium.
  • Suganthan, Ajiththa. (2015). Hindu temples in Sri Lanka commemorate the Ramayana. In All Ceylon Hindu Congress (Ed.), Diamond Jubilee Commemorative Issue, Vol. 2, Conference Proceedings.

Professional Awards &Fellowship

  • Travel Grant for the American Academy of Religion Southeast Region Annual Conference 2025(AARSE) at Florida Memorial University through Concur, Florida State University, USA
  • Dean’s Doctoral Scholar Award for the PhD in History and Ethnography of Religions, College of Arts and Sciences, Florida State University, USA, for the academic year 2024-2025.
  • Dean’s Doctoral Scholar Award for the PhD in History and Ethnography of Religions, College of Arts and Sciences, Florida State University, USA, for the academic year 2023-2024.
  • Graduate Fee Relief Scholarship for the D. in History and Ethnography of Religions, College of Arts and Sciences, Florida State University, USA, for the academic year 2023-2027
  • Fulbright Master’s Scholar Award in Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies, U.S. Department of State, Fulbright Commission SL-USA, for the 2021-2023 academic year.
  • Tuition Award for the Master of Arts in History and Criticism of Art: Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies, Art History Department, Florida State University, USA
  • Early Career Researcher Fellowship 2021, Rewriting World Archaeology, supported by the British Academy and Durham University in the United Kingdom.