From Sri Lankan classrooms to a knighthood in Britain, Professor Nishan Canagarajah’s journey reflects how education, inclusion, and leadership can reshape lives and institutions alike.
Sri Lankan-born Professor Nishan Canagarajah, the President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, has been knighted in the 2026 King’s New Year Honours in recognition of his outstanding contribution to higher education and his sustained commitment to inclusion and social equity.
Born and educated in Sri Lanka, Professor Canagarajah later moved to the United Kingdom, where he pursued higher studies at the University of Cambridge. He obtained his BA (Hons) in 1989 and completed his PhD in 1993, marking the beginning of a distinguished international academic career that would span research, leadership, and public service.
In 1993, he joined the University of Bristol as a research assistant and steadily progressed through a series of senior academic roles. These included Faculty of Engineering Research Director, Head of the Department of Computer Science, Head of the Merchant Venturers School of Engineering, and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. In August 2014, he was appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, further strengthening his reputation as a strategic academic leader.
Professor Canagarajah is internationally recognised for his research in signal processing and texture classification. Beyond academia, he has served on national and international research funding and governance panels and contributed to postgraduate education policy. His expertise has also been sought by major organisations, including Sony, BT, Orange, Thales, Toshiba, the Met Police, and the BBC.
“Throughout his distinguished career, Professor Canagarajah has shown an unwavering commitment to education as a force for improving lives and creating a fairer society. As the first minority ethnic Vice-Chancellor at the University of Leicester, in the first plural city in the UK, he has used his influence to give voice to those who are so often overlooked and under-represented and has taken actions to overcome barriers and create opportunities for others,” the University of Leicester said.
His knighthood stands as a moment of pride for Sri Lanka and a powerful reminder of the global impact of inclusive leadership in higher education.
