Prof Kumar will take up the role in July 2025 and will be based in GIFT City, providing academic leadership across the Faculties for the new campus, which will welcome its first cohort of students in early 2026.

Prior to this appointment, Prof. Kumar was based in the School of Natural and Built Environment at Queen’s University Belfast for over 25 years. He previously held roles as Director of Queen’s Academy India and of Internationalisation, playing a pivotal role in enhancing the University’s global presence in South Asia.

In addition to his role at Queen’s, Prof. Kumar has also held a number of Visiting Professorships at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi; Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and the University of Calcutta, Kolkata. 

Queen’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Ian Greer, says:

“I am delighted to welcome Prof. Satish Kumar into this key leadership role to drive forward Queen’s new campus in India. 

I am confident his leadership will build on the already strong academic partnerships in the country, enhancing co-operation and collaboration with local industry, government and business sectors to deliver a world-class student experience for Queen’s students.

This is a significant milestone for us, as we progress towards being the first UK Russell Group University to establish a campus in GIFT City.

I look forward to working with Satish as the development of our campus accelerates ahead of our opening early next year and wish him well in his new role. We are excited for the opportunities and potential Queen’s in India will have for our students and staff, whilst also delivering social value and economic impact to the area”.

Professor Margaret Topping, Pro-Vice Chancellor Global Engagement, said:

“We are delighted to appoint Satish as our first Dean of Gift City. This is a critical role which will set firm foundations for our staff, students and partners in the country.

Satish brings with him a wealth of experience in developing intersectoral partnerships and a thriving collaborative learning environment.

In addition to Prof. Kumar, we will soon be announcing the appointment of the academic staff who will lead on programme delivery on the campus. We will also be advertising a range of Professional Services roles in the near future. The appointment of Prof Kumar will be key in driving this process forward and in building our team for future success in India.

We are also delighted to open registration for students interested in attending Queen’s University in Gift City.  We will offer a portfolio of five postgraduate programmes initially, tailored to the specific needs of the Indian economy. Further information about our courses and programmes can be found at www.qub.ac.uk/india".

Prof Kumar comments on his appointment:

“I’m honoured to take on this pivotal role as we establish Queen’s University’s new international branch campus at GIFT City. This landmark development represents a significant step in our global engagement strategy — enabling us to extend Queen’s world-class education to new regions while forging deep, long-term partnerships with industry and academic stakeholders in India. Together, we aim to contribute meaningfully to the evolving transnational education and economic landscape of the region”.

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