Monday, 15 March 2021
Professor Harminder Singh Dua CBE, from the University of Nottingham, has been appointed as High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire.
Professor Dua was officially installed as High Sheriff at a ceremony on Saturday 13 March after his name was approved by the Queen at a traditional ceremony held at a meeting of the Privy Council on the 10 March. Professor Dua will now remain in post for the next year.
Professor Dua has been Chair and Professor of Ophthalmology in the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham since 1994. He is Honorary Professor of Universita della Svizze, Lugano Switzerland and has just completed a term of three years as Head-of-Service (joint), in the Department of Ophthalmology, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
He was made Commander of the most excellent order of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in her 2019 Birthday Honours list.
Professor Dua’s most famous contribution to ophthalmology was his research group’s discovery of a previously undetected layer of the human cornea in 2013.
His work to develop our understanding of this Pre-Decemet’s layer – also dubbed Dua’s Layer - has already informed three new surgical techniques and made lamellar corneal transplantation safer.
Being High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire is a high honour and rare privilege, I will work to support charities and local voluntary organisations and focus on Community health and Religion and the Environment - CARE. To care for those who serve us and for those who we serve."
Professor Shearer West, President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Nottingham, said: “We are extremely proud that Professor Dua has been appointed High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire. Professionally, Professor Dua has already achieved so much, and he is extremely respected by everyone in his field and all of us at the University. I am sure he will be a great asset in the role.”
The High Sheriff is one of the oldest roles in the country going back over a thousand years, and pre-dating Robin Hood by several hundred years.
The High Sheriff plays an increasingly active and supportive role within the county both in relation to the Police and emergency services and in lending encouragement to public sector agencies such as the probation and prison services and to voluntary sector organisations involved in crime reduction and social cohesion. The principal formal duties of High Sheriffs today include attendance at royal visits in the County and support for Her Majesty’s High Court Judges when on Circuit.
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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