UCalgary’s Janaka Ruwanpura a finalist for Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards

UCalgary is proud to share that our vice-provost and associate vice-president research (international) Dr. Janaka Ruwanpura has been nominated and selected as one of 75 finalists for this year’s Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards.

This prestigious people’s choice awards program honours inspirational immigrants who have made a positive impact on their communities since arriving in Canada, and recognizes the achievements of all immigrants including community advocates, volunteers, successful entrepreneurs, and cultural icons.

“The University of Calgary community benefits from Dr. Ruwanpura’s deep expertise as a senior leader, an academic, an engineer and a mentor, just as Canada is strengthened by the talents of all newcomers,” says President Ed McCauley.

“He is especially deserving of this award because of his prominent leadership across a wide range of scholarship and his commitment to global academic partnerships. Dr. Ruwanpura has forged ties with other universities that enable international exchanges, development work and joint research programs.“

An outstanding educator, prolific scholar, impactful, award-winning academic leader and administrator, Ruwanpura has been an influential educator and scholar in construction engineering and project management, and an innovator in global engagement.

He has published over 180 referred technical papers, supervised 100-plus graduate students, and produced 30-plus best practices and tools, including commercialized products. He has been a prominent keynote speaker and panellist for both engineering and internationalization organizations around the world.

Born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Ruwanpura holds degrees from the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka,  Arizona State University, and the University of Alberta. He moved to Edmonton to pursue his PhD in 1997, and at that time decided to immigrate to Canada. He saw Canada's opportunities as a nation with excellent values, as a place to raise a family, and as an ideal home for immigrants to pursue a long-lasting career.

Ruwanpura served as the Canada Research Chair in Project Management Systems, director of UCalgary’s Centre for Project Management Excellence, and was the fourth Canadian inducted into the National Academy of Construction in the United States. He is a professional engineer and professional quantity surveyor in Canada.

Ruwanpura has won international, national, provincial and municipal awards for his academic accomplishments and leadership for teaching, research, innovation, service, leadership and internationalization. A few recent awards include the Distinguished Alumni Award (Arizona State University), City of Calgary’s International Achievement Award, and CBIE’s Board of Directors Leadership Award for Internationalization.

Through his exceptional vision, UCalgary has made transformative growth in global engagement and earned six excellence and innovation awards in internationalization for building intercultural capacities that enhance teaching, research and the student experience.

The public can now vote for up to three of their favourite finalists online between now and June 10, 2022.

The 25 winners will be announced on CanadianImmigrant.ca in July and featured in the July issue of Canadian Immigrant magazine.