Queen's University Belfast appoints Professor M Satish Kumar first Dean of India campus
Queen's University Belfast (QUB) has announced the appointment of Professor M Satish Kumar as the first Dean of its upcoming international campus in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), India. Prof Kumar will assume his role in July 2025 and will be based in GIFT City, where he will provide academic leadership across disciplines as the university prepares to launch its India campus.
The GIFT City campus is expected to welcome its first cohort of students in early 2026. As the first UK Russell Group university to establish a presence in GIFT City, QUB's expansion is part of a broader strategy to enhance global engagement and foster long-term partnerships with Indian academic institutions, industry stakeholders, and government bodies.
According to a statement from the university, Prof Kumar has been associated with QUB for over 25 years, having served in the School of Natural and Built Environment. He also led Queen's Academy India and held the position of Director of Internationalisation, where he contributed to strengthening the university's outreach and collaborations in South Asia.
He has previously held visiting professorships at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, and the University of Calcutta in Kolkata.
The GIFT City campus will begin with a portfolio of five postgraduate programmes aligned with the demands of the Indian economy. These programmes are being designed to cater to sector-specific skills and will form the core academic offering during the initial phase of operations. QUB will announce the names of academic staff responsible for programme delivery in the coming months.
Queen's University Belfast's expansion into India reflects a broader trend in transnational education, with increasing academic and institutional collaborations between the UK and India. The establishment of the GIFT City campus aligns with national policies encouraging international branch campuses and is expected to contribute to both educational and economic development in the region.
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