Sri Lanka-born UK Don Nishan Canagarajah knighted

Wednesday, 31 December 2025 00:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Prof. Nishan Canagarajah

Sri Lanka-born Prof. Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, has been awarded a knighthood in the 2026 King’s New Year Honours, in recognition of his contribution to higher education, with particular emphasis on advancing inclusion.

Educated in Sri Lanka, Canagarajah moved to the UK for higher studies, earning his BA (Hons) and PhD from the University of Cambridge in 1989 and 1993 respectively.

He began his academic career at the University of Bristol in 1993 as a research assistant and went on to hold several senior roles, including 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.

An internationally recognised researcher in signal processing and texture classification, Canagarajah has served on a range of national and international research funding, governance and postgraduate education panels. His industry engagement has included advisory and consultancy work with organisations such as Sony, BT, the BBC, Orange, Thales, Toshiba and the UK Metropolitan Police.

The University of Leicester said Canagarajah’s career reflects a sustained commitment to education as a means of social progress. As the institution’s first Vice-Chancellor from a minority ethnic background, leading a university based in one of the UK’s most diverse cities, it noted that he has consistently used his position to address under-representation, remove structural barriers and widen access to opportunity.