Professor starts at International Agriculture University in September

Professor Nicola Cannon has worked at the RAU in Cirencester for more than two decades and was part of the team which set up International Agriculture University (IAU) in Uzbekistan's capital city Tashkent.

Nicola Cannon (Image: RAU)

The new university in Uzbekistan opened its doors for the very first time last September and has just completed its first academic year.

It already has more than 500 students, all on full scholarships from the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, on its courses.

The Uzbekistan Ministry of Agriculture selected the RAU as its partner to establish the new university in 2021.

The IAU was established in May 2022 and an official Partnership Agreement was signed by RAU vice-chancellor professor Peter McCaffery and Mr Jamshid Khodjaev, Uzbekistan's Minister of Agriculture, the following month.

This partnership gives IAU students an equivalent educational experience to RAU students by franchising some of the RAU’s existing degree programmes with students accessing a blend of face to face and online lectures and resources. 

Having spent the summer at home in the UK, Nicola leaves for Tashkent at the start of September and, aside from a break over Christmas, will remain there until April 2024.

Nicola said: “It is a real honour to have been a part of this whole process and to have now been asked to take on the role of deputy rector. 

"I am excited to get going as I know I can make a real difference, not only in terms of agricultural education but also helping them on the ground with their agricultural practices.

“The main purpose of my role is to help the IAU with its systems and the quality of its courses, as it transitions into the additional levels of teaching, as well as to inspire research within the academic staff.

"It’s a very exciting time for the IAU and the RAU and I am thrilled to be able to be a part of it."