Queen’s University appoints M Satish Kumar dean of GIFT city campus

The Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) has appointed M Satish Kumar as the first dean of its new campus in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), and he will take up the position from July 2025 onwards.

Kumar will provide academic leadership across the faculties in the new campus, which will welcome its first cohort of students in early 2026.

Prior to Kumar’s appointment at the GIFT city campus, he was based in the School of Natural and Built Environment at QUB for over 25 years. He previously worked as the director of Queen’s Academy India and Internationalisation and played an important role to improve the university’s global presence in South Asia.

Additionally, Kumar had also held several visiting professorships at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Varanasi, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) New Delhi, and the University of Calcutta (CU) Kolkata.

Speaking on his appointment Kumar said: “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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The vice-chancellor and president of QUB Sir Ian Greer said: "I’m delighted to welcome Satish Kumar to lead Queen’s new campus in India. His leadership will strengthen our academic partnerships and foster collaboration with industry and government to deliver an enriching student experience. This marks a major milestone as we become the first UK Russell Group University in GIFT City. I look forward to working with him as we move towards our opening next year and unlock new opportunities for students, staff, and the wider community."