Nicos Peristianis

Dr Nicos Peristianis holds a Bachelor’s in Sociology with Economics from the University of Kent, UK, a Master’s in Education (M.Ed.) from Trenton State, USA, and a Doctorate in Sociology from Middlesex University, UK.

Dr Peristianis’ life and career has focused on knowledge creation and dissemination, civic engagement and the building of civic and educational institutions - aiming to the betterment of people’s lives. After finishing his initial studies he became involved with tertiary level education in Cyprus and in 1981 he joined the newly formed Intercollege, which under his leadership grew to become Cyprus’ largest private educational institution. He oversaw the transition of the core of Intercollege into the University of Nicosia, which he steered in its initial vital years as its Founding President (2007-2016).

In parallel to his involvement with the University of Nicosia, in Cyprus (by this time a part of the European Union), Dr Peristianis became actively involved in the establishment of Galen University, in Belize, to serve the needs of students locally and Central America more widely. In 2012 he was one of the founders of UNICAF, an online and blended learning university network, serving the needs of students in Africa and other developing countries. In 2017 he became one of the founders and the first chairman of the board of Admiralty University (ADUN), in Nigeria.

Dr Peristianis was also instrumental in the setting up and growth of many research and public service oriented institutions. In 1999 he co-founded the Institute for Mass Media, in 2002 the Mediterranean Institute for Gender Studies (MIGS), in 2016 the Centre of Speech and Intelligence, and in 2017 he co-led the restructuring of the Cyprus Systemic Institute, all of which he still chairs. As regards civic institutions he was one of the founders of the NGO Politeia, aiming towards the strengthening of democratic institutions in Cyprus; and is a co-chair of Cyprus Academic Dialogue (CAD) a bi-communal NGO fostering academic dialogue for the resolution of ethnic conflicts.

Parallel to the institution building endeavours mentioned, Dr Peristianis has been actively involved in research and in public debate, as a sociologist and public intellectual. He served as President of the Cyprus Sociological Association between 1996 and 2009 and has helped popularise sociological thinking through public lectures and participation as panel member in various radio and tv programs, as well as a regular contributor in newspapers and journals. His research interests include social change and its impact on social institutions, political systems, nation-building, ethnic conflict, and identity formation. He was the inspirator and Managing Editor of “The Cyprus Review”, a biannual refereed journal which focuses on social, economic and political issues pertinent to Cyprus, in its first two crucial decades of publication. He was also the Managing Editor of the University of Nicosia Press, which published more than a hundred titles of books, journals, policy papers and research studies. And he has co-edited a number of books including “Divided Cyprus: Modernity, History, and an Island in Conflict” (Indiana University Press, 2006), and “Britain in Cyprus: Colonialism and Post-Colonialism” (Bibliopolis, 2006), while he co-authored the first “Cyprus Human Development Report on Youth in Cyprus: Aspirations, Lifestyles and Empowerment” (University of Nicosia, 2009).

Dr Peristianis is currently engaged in building up the Universitas Foundation, while continuing to oversee the various projects he has been engaged with throughout his lifetime.