An alumni of the Devi Balika Vidyalaya in Colombo, Dr. Vithanage completed her Bachelor's Degree in Natural Resources at the Sabaragamuwa University in 2002. Following the completion of a Master's degree in Environmental Sciences at the Peradeniya University she was selected for a Doctoral Scholarship by the Copenhagen University, Denmark and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Sri Lanka to conduct field work and computer modelling of the complex, unprecedented contamination of freshwater wells and the groundwater aquifers of the coast belt of Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.