Professor Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, has been awarded a knighthood as a Knight Bachelor in the 2026 King's New Year Honours.
The honor recognizes his "inestimable contribution" to higher education and his dedicated leadership in championing inclusion and social mobility. Since beginning his role at Leicester in November 2019, Professor Canagarajah has transformed the institution into one of the UK’s most diverse, with 69% of its students from minority ethnic backgrounds and 38% from disadvantaged areas.
Under his guidance, the university has achieved significant milestones, including receiving three University of the Year accolades and earning a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).
He has spearheaded initiatives to break down barriers to education, such as establishing the Institute for Inclusivity in Higher Education and opening Leicester's first IntoUniversity centre. Beyond his campus, he holds influential national roles, including serving as the chair of the Universities and Colleges Employers’ Association (UCEA) as of November 2025.
Originally from Sri Lanka, Professor Canagarajah’s personal journey from a "once war-torn land" to being recognized by royalty has been described as "remarkable". He moved to the UK on a scholarship to the University of Cambridge, where he completed both his undergraduate and doctoral studies. Before leading Leicester, he spent nearly 30 years at the University of Bristol, where he was an internationally recognized researcher in engineering and signal processing. Reflecting on the award, he expressed deep humility, noting that the knighthood is a testament to the transformative power of education and the support of the many people who contributed to his success.
