Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) on Thursday announced the appointment of Professor M Satish Kumar as first Dean of its new campus in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) in Gujarat.

Professor 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, stated an official release.

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

“I am 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”, stated Professor Kumar.

Published on June 19, 2025