Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Vice-Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar was appointed chairperson of the University Grants Commission (UGC). The announcement came through a notification issued by the Ministry of Education stating that the appointment has been made for a period of five years, or until he turns 65, whichever is earlier.

Professor D P Singh, the former UGC Chairman resigned his post upon turning 65 on 7th December 2021.

Kumar's term as Vice-Chancellor, JNU began in January 2016 and officially ended in January 2021, however, he stayed on until a new Vice-Chancellor was appointed. The successor for JNU is yet to be appointed, the process is currently underway.

Kumar obtained MS (EE) and PhD (EE) degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. He has previously held the positions of Assistant Professor at IIT Kharagpur and Associate Professor at IIT Delhi.

Vice-Chairman of the UGC is also yet to be appointed.