Kasaragod: President Droupadi Murmu appointed Prof Siddu Payappa Algur as the Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Kerala (CUK), Kasaragod, on Tuesday, March 18. He served as Vice-Chancellor of Vijayanagara Sri Krishnadevaraya University in Ballari, Karnataka, from 2019 to 2024. 

With Prof Algur’s appointment, Central University of Kerala — established in 2009 — gets a Vice-Chancellor from a science background for the first time. A professor of computer science, his expertise lies in data mining, knowledge discovery, and big data analytics.

The Vice-Chancellor's post at the Central University of Kerala had been lying vacant since October 28, 2023, when the then V-C Prof H Venkateshwarlu died in office due to multiple organ failure.

Prof Algur, 65, will hold office for a five-year term or until he turns 70, whichever is earlier, said an intimation to the university registrar from the Ministry of Education.

Prof Algur was born at Terdal in Karnataka's Bagalkot district in 1959. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Mysore, a Master of Engineering from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, and a PhD from Gulbarga University.

He has guided five PhD candidates and published widely in national and international journals, said his resume. His administrative roles have included serving as Registrar of Rani Channamma University in Belagavi, where he led infrastructure and academic reforms, and helped secure significant research funding.

Prof Algur is a life member of the Indian Society for Technical Education and a member of the Computer Society of India and the Institution of Engineers. His appointment is expected to bring a strong technology-driven focus to CUK’s academic and administrative growth.