President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester Prof. Nishan Canagarajah has been knighted in the 2026 King’s New Year Honours, for his contributions to higher education and inclusion.
Born and educated in Sri Lanka, he earned his Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and PhD from the University of Cambridge before embarking on his career at the University of Bristol, where he held several roles including Head of the Department of Computer Science, Dean of Engineering, and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise.
Since joining Leicester in 2019, Canagarajah has led one of the UK’s most diverse universities, where 38 percent of students hail from disadvantaged areas and 69 percent from minority ethnic backgrounds.
He established the first IntoUniversity centre in Leicester, supporting 1,000 young people and appointed the University’s first female Chancellor – Dame Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock.
Under his leadership, the institution has received three University of the Year accolades, achieved Teaching Excellence Framework Gold and ranked in the Top 30 in the Research Excellence Framework.
Canagarajah also established a Civic Universities Partnership, securing over three million pounds for local projects, and supported refugees and academics from conflict affected regions. Internationally, he has developed partnerships in India, Thailand, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, the USA and Canada, including a noteworthy collaboration with the Apollo Hospitals Group in India.