Professor Janaka Ruwanpura is the Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President Research (International) at the University of Calgary. He is a Professor of Civil Engineering and Project Management and served as a Canada Research Chair in Project Management Systems. Dr. Ruwanpura earned a BSc (honors) from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, an MSc in construction management from Arizona State University (ASU), and a PhD in construction engineering and management from University of Alberta. Prof. Ruwanpura has been recognized with many national and international awards for teaching, research, innovation, leadership, service, graduate education and internationalization. The recent awards include the International Achievement Award from the City of Calgary (2020), the Board of Directors Leadership Award for Internationalization from the Canadian Bureau for International Education (2020), and a Top25 Canadian Immigrant Award (2022). He is the ex-elected Executive Chair of the Commission of International Initiatives of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) as the first Canadian and Non-American to chair any of the councils and commissions of APLU. He currently serves in the Executive Committee Class of 2024, Council on Research at APLU.

During his 9+ years as VPI, he has brought new initiatives to the University of Calgary, including developing and implementing collaborative degree models for undergraduate and graduate levels, offering customized training and capacity building programs, co-developing Global Research Initiatives and Sites in China and Mexico and raising funding for research and infrastructure (over $57 Million), establishing and promoting new research opportunities and partnerships in many countries (USA, UK, Germany, China, Mexico, Norway, India, etc.), promoting and developing new funding models (over $1 Million per year) for opportunities for students’ international experience and to enhance global exposure for faculty and staff and securing, raising research internships through MITACS ($5.4 Million), lobbying for international development grants (over $25 Million) and establishing a new unit for International Research Partnerships and Innovation. Because of some of these initiatives, UCalgary has won 6 competitive awards since 2016, including the “Comprehensive Internationalization” award from the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) and the “Platinum” Institutional Award for “Global Learning, Research & Engagement” from APLU. He also led to the developing of an International Partnership Assessment Rating Index (IPARI) to assess existing university partnerships, identify top partners in each country and develop strategic partnerships. UCalgary received the Catalyst award for innovation for IPARI from CBIE and the Innovation Award in Internationalization from the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA).

Professor Ruwanpura is a licensed professional engineer in Alberta, a professional quantity surveyor in Canada, a chartered member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and a member of the US National Academy of Construction. He is also a board member of CBIE.