Professor Deborah Prentice became the University of Cambridge’s 347th Vice-Chancellor on July 1, 2023.

An eminent psychologist, Professor Prentice carried out her academic and administrative career at Princeton University, which she first joined in 1988. She rose through the academic ranks and took on administrative responsibilities of increasing scope, chairing the Department of Psychology for 12 years, serving as Dean of Faculty for three years, and then serving six years as Provost, with primary responsibility for all academic, budgetary, and long-term planning issues.

Her academic expertise is in the study of social norms that govern human behaviour – particularly the impact and development of unwritten rules and conventions, and how people respond to breaches of those rules. She has edited three academic volumes and published more than 50 articles and chapters, and she has specialised in the study of domestic violence, alcohol abuse and gender stereotypes.

The University Council nominated Professor Prentice for appointment as Vice-Chancellor in September 2022. Her appointment was subsequently approved by the Regent House.

Professor Bhaskar Vira serves as Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Environmental Sustainability, a position he has held since October 2022. He is also Professor of Political Economy in the Department of Geography, Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, an Honorary Fellow of St John's College, and Head of Program for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.  

Professor Vira is responsible for shaping and advancing the University’s educational and environmental sustainability mission. He leads the development and implementation of strategy and policy aimed at fostering educational excellence and enhancing the student experience. He works closely with Cambridge Zero and Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) to find solutions to critical sustainability challenges. In this senior leadership role, he provides academic leadership to the University, supports the Vice-Chancellor, and works as part of a team with the Heads of Schools to drive strategy and policy development across the institution.  

Trained as an economist, Professor Vira’s research explores the political economy of environment and development, with a particular focus on South Asia. His work addresses land-use change, forests, water management, biodiversity conservation, and the social and political context for sustainability. He has led major interdisciplinary projects and contributes actively to global science-policy dialogues. 

Professor Vira was the Founding Director of the Cambridge Conservation Research Institute and previously served as Head of the Department of Geography. His leadership and scholarship have earned him prestigious honours, including the Royal Geographical Society’s Busk Medal (2018) and election as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (2021). 

Professor Gishan Dissanaike is a financial economist and holds the Adam Smith Professorship of Corporate Governance and Finance at the University of Cambridge. He was appointed Dean of Cambridge Judge Business School effective 1 December 2024, having been a faculty member for over 25 years.
 
Gishan’s research spans the efficiency of stock markets, corporate finance, and governance. He has held visiting positions at leading institutions, including Cornell University, and has served as a consultant to global corporations, investment banks, and regulatory bodies. Before entering academia, he worked at Banque Indosuez—now part of the Crédit Agricole Group, one of Europe’s largest banking institutions.
 
Professor Dissanaike has received numerous accolades for his research, including the Iddo Sarnat Prize awarded by the Journal of Banking & Finance and the European Finance Association, an ESRC Research Fellowship, and an Academic Fellowship from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. He was also a finalist in the JFE/ECGI Clinical Paper Competition, with finalists invited to attend the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm. He earned his BA from the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka, and subsequently completed his MPhil and PhD in Economics at Trinity College, Cambridge.
 

Akshay Rao is Professor of Physics at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge. His research group focuses on developing advanced materials and tools to accelerate the global energy transition. Their work includes creating technologies that push the efficiency of silicon solar cells beyond current physical limits and designing innovative tools that provide unprecedented insights into battery materials, significantly reducing the development time for next-generation battery technologies. 

Akshay obtained his BSc from St Stephen’s College, University of Delhi (2006), and his MSc from the University of Sheffield (2007). He completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2011, followed by a Junior Research Fellowship at Corpus Christi College. He established his independent research group in 2015. His accolades include the Henry Moseley Medal and Prize from the Institute of Physics for “exceptional early career contributions to experimental physics,” as well as an EPSRC Early Career Fellowship and multiple ERC grants. 

He is the co-founder of Cambridge Photon Technology, which aims to enhance silicon solar cell efficiency, and Illumion, which develops cutting-edge tools for battery researchers in academia and industry.  

Priya has spent 19+ years working across the finance, policy, and venture sectors in the US, UK, and Indian markets.  She currently runs Theia Ventures, which is an India-based, early stage fund focused on energy transition, deep tech, AI and decarbonization. She is an early investor in India’s climate tech venture ecosystem and a Director on Sustainability Mafia, one of India’s largest climate founder coalitions.  

Before Theia Ventures, she built the Indian Fund arm of Yunus Social Business (YSB), a global impact venture debt fund founded by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, where she led investments into companies such as S4S Technologies (Earthshot Prize Winner 2023), Rangsutra, Virohan, SMV Green, Just Organik and Hasiru Dala. Prior to YSB, Priya spearheaded strategy, capital raising, and special projects at a clean-tech, venture-backed, growth-stage company, Simpa Networks.  She began her career at Bloomberg LP in New York and later at Asia House in London. She has led independent consulting projects at impact start-ups and investment firms, such as Acumen and British International Investment.  

She holds an MBA from Cambridge Judge Business School and a BA in History from Brown University, where she is closely affiliated with alumni initiatives on gender diversity, international scholarships, and climate-focused entrepreneurship. She is actively involved as a mentor, advisor, and thought leader with several think tanks, university labs, accelerator programs, and foundations on climate tech innovation, a Board Member on the University of Cambridge’s Alumni Advisory Council, and an advisor to Brown University’s Young India Leadership Council and Women’s Launchpad program.