President Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed renowned Sri Lankan academic, Prof. Monte Cassim, as the new Chancellor. 

Prof. Monte Cassim, currently serving as the Vice-Chancellor of the Ritsumeikan Trust and a distinguished figure in the academic realm, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his new role. Prior to this appointment, he held the position of President at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Beppu, Japan, from April 2004 to January 2010, where he continues to serve as a Professor.

Educated at Royal College, Colombo, Prof. Cassim graduated from the University of Ceylon in 1970. His journey in academia and professional practice includes working as an architect for Valentine Gunasekerea's practice before venturing to Japan in 1971 on a Japan Ministry of Education postgraduate scholarship. He earned his master's degree from the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Engineering in 1976 and subsequently pursued doctoral studies there.

Prof. Cassim's diverse career path includes roles at Mitsui Construction and the AUR urban and regional planning practice in Tokyo. He later joined the Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang as a faculty member and worked at the United Nations Centre for Regional Development in Nagoya from 1985 to 1994. In 1994, he joined Ritsumeikan University as a Professor, contributing to the Faculty of International Relations and the Faculty of Policy Science.

His research focus at Ritsumeikan’s Discovery Research Laboratory centers on process analysis, systems design, and knowledge management to develop environmentally sustainable and socially responsible technological solutions. His outstanding contributions led to his appointment as the President of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) and Vice-Chancellor of Ritsumeikan Trust in 2004.