Role
Vangelis Tsiligkiris (also known as Tsiligiris) (SFHEA, FCMI) is Professor of International Education at Nottingham Business School (NBS). He is the Course Leader for the MSc Finance Suite (Accounting, Finance, Investment Banking) and MSc FinTech and Financial Markets. He is part of the management team of the Accounting & Finance department.
Career overview
Vangelis possesses a 20-year track record in executive leadership within higher education, having spearheaded large academic units as the College Principal at the College of Crete and as the Head of Online Programmes at Roehampton University London/Laureate International Universities. At present, Vangelis handles line management responsibilities at Nottingham Business School, while actively participating in various committees and advisory groups.
An expert in transnational education (TNE) and internationalisation within higher education, Vangelis demonstrates a wealth of practical and research experience in these areas. His accomplishments include designing and managing large-scale projects encompassing partner-supported delivery and online education, as well as promoting internationalisation at home through initiatives such as curriculum components, collaborative online learning (COIL), staff and student mobility, and international experiential learning.
In addition to his hands-on expertise, Vangelis has served as a higher education policy advisor to prestigious international organisations and governments. His consulting portfolio includes projects for the Ministry of Education of Malta, the Ministry of Education of Greece, the British Council, the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), NAFSA, Universities UK, the HE Quality Assurance Agency of Georgia, the UK NARIC (ECCTIS), Jisc, the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), and numerous UK-based universities.
Vangelis has contributed significantly to the development of various academic programs, such as the MSc in FinTech and Financial Markets, the Online MBA at Nottingham Business School, and a summer school focusing on Financial Management using Bloomberg terminals. As an educator, he has taught at undergraduate and postgraduate levels across diverse modes of delivery (e.g., fully online, hybrid, and face-to-face) at prominent UK universities, including the University of Liverpool, Queen Mary University of London, Roehampton University London, Staffordshire University, and Salford University.
His academic background comprises studying Financial Technology at the University of Oxford, Economics at the University of East London, Management at the University of Leicester, and earning a PhD in cross-border higher education management from Birmingham City University. Currently he is studying towards an MSc in Artificial Intelligence at the School of Computing Science at NTU.
Research areas
Vangelis is an active researcher with a focus on two main areas: a) Transnational education, emphasising international student experiences and higher education business strategy, and b) teaching and learning in accounting and finance, particularly the impact of emerging technologies (e.g., Blockchain, AI) on the finance and accounting professions.
Vangelis has published 9 peer-reviewed academic papers, 22 research reports for international organizations, 5 book chapters, and has served as the editor for two books. His work has been featured in 3* Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) journals, such as 'Studies in Higher Education,' and in international scholarly publications like the 'Boston College International Higher Education' journal.
He has been involved in several innovative research projects. Vangelis created the TNE Impact – a case study database that tracks the influence of university international partnerships with respect to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He is also part of the research team that developed the Global Engagement Index a project designed to assess and benchmark the internationalisation and global engagement profiles of UK universities.
He is a member of the research centre for Finance, Technology and Society at Nottingham Business School and the founder of the TNE Hub – an international community of researchers and practitioners in transnational education, which now has over 500 members from 25 countries.
External activity
Vangelis is a visiting Professor at Birmingham City University and teaches in the Online MBA of the Queen Mary University of London. He is an external examiner for the University of Surrey and has acted as an external examiner to several PhDs.
He is an advisor and mentor for EdTech start-ups under the Supercharger EdTech accelerator.
Vangelis sits on a number of expert committees:
- Chair of the International Committee of the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS)
- Advisory Board Member of the UK NARIC Transnational Education (TNE) Quality Benchmark
- Member of the Jisc transnational education special interest group
- Member of the HEI resonance group for the EU project e-VALUATE
- Member of the Experts Advisory Group for the European Union-funded research project “Virtual Vocational Education and Training – VIRTUS”
Memberships in professional bodies
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE) (SFHEA)
- Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI)
Sponsors and collaborators
- British Council
- Association of Commonwealth Universities
- Universities UK International (UUKi)
- The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT)
- Jisc
- UK NARIC (ECCTIS)
Publications
Some selected publications include
In 2024, he co-authored the research report "Towards a more competitive environment for transnational education in Viet Nam". This report was conducted on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Training of Viet Nam and its findings will be used to inform and shape the country’s policy towards international branch campuses.
- ILIEVA, J.B., TSILIGKIRIS, V., NGUYEN, V.X., PHAM, H., QUACH, M. and KILLINGLEY, P., 2024. Towards a more competitive environment for transnational education in Viet Nam. British Council.
In 2023, Vangelis co-authored the research report “The Role of Transnational Education Partnerships in Building Sustainable and Resilient Higher Education” for the International Higher Education Commission (IHEC). The purpose of the IHCE is to develop recommendations for a new ‘International Education Strategy 2.0’ in partnership with the higher education community. The Commission is Chaired by the Rt Hon Chris Skidmore MP.
- TSILIGKIRIS, V., ILIEVA, J., ALEXANDER, W. and PILSBURY, D., 2023. The role of transnational education partnerships in building sustainable and resilient higher education. International Higher Education Commission.
In 2022, he has contributed to the major research project "Value of Transnational Education " for the British Council. This is a major study, including evidence from 20 countries. This work has been central to the UK government's International HE strategy.
- ILIEVA, J., HEALEY, N., TSILIGKIRIS, V., ZIGURAS, C., KILLINGLEY, P. and LAWTON, W., 2022. The value of transnational education partnerships. London: British Council, pp. 1-92.
In 2021, Vangelis conducted an extensive research about the skills and personal qualities required in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). This work has been very influential having been the third most read publication of the Accounting Education journal.
- TSILIGKIRIS, V. and BOWER, D., 2021. Exploring the impact of 4IR on skills and personal qualities for future accountants: a proposed conceptual framework for university accounting education. Accounting Education. ISSN 0963-9284
In 2019, Vangelis published a conceptual framework that facilitates the concurrent management of student experience and educational quality in an international higher education context.
- TSILIGIRIS, V. and HILL, C., 2019. A prospective model for aligning educational quality and student experience in international higher education. Studies in Higher Education. ISSN 0307-5079
Press expertise
Vangelis is a regular media commentator and keynote speaker on transnational education (TNE) issues and research.
Some of the media he has contributed to include:
- BBC radio
- The Guardian
- Times Higher Education
- University World News
- EAIE Forum magazine
- Gulf Business
- The PIE News
- ICEF monitor
UN Sustainable Goals
Vangelis has been working extensively on the application of international education in promoting the UN SDGs. He has developed the TNE IMPACT (www.tneimpact.org); a global repository of transnational education impact case studies in relation to the UN SDGs. Also, he has secured a British Council exploratory grant to develop a micro-credentials online course that aims to widen the participation in higher education of disadvantaged groups in India. Lastly, he has conducted research on the impact of international education partnerships in promoting the UN SDGs.
