Kathmandu, Nepal—Sixteen applicants have been approved to proceed in the selection process for the Vice-Chancellor position at Kathmandu University (KU). One applicant was disqualified from the 17 applications received.
The Search and Recommendation Committee, responsible for recommending candidates for the position, has published the names of the 16 approved individuals. The committee is chaired by former KU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Suresh Raj Sharma, with Prof. Dr. Arjun Karki and former Education Secretary Janardan Nepal serving as other members. The application call was issued on Janauary 2, 2025 (Poush 18, 2081 BS).
The committee has announced that, following a thorough review and scrutiny of the sealed applications submitted by 17 candidates in response to the notice published on 2081/9/18, the Search and Recommendation Committee has approved the applications of the following candidates for the vacant position of Vice-Chancellor at Kathmandu University.
Approved Applications
| Serial No. | Name | Address |
| 1 | Prof. Dr. Megh Raj Dangal |
Ulabari 6, Morang |
| 2 | Prof. Dr. Shyam Narayan Labh |
Sinamangal 9, Kathmandu |
| 3 | Prof. Dr. Nabin Pokhrel |
New Baneshwor, Kathmandu |
| 4 | Prof. Dr. Subodh Sharma |
Dhulikhel, Kavre |
| 5 | Prof. Dr. Bal Chandra Luitel |
Phakphok Thum 3, Ilam |
| 6 | Prof. Dr. Hari Prasad Neopane |
Chhatradev 7, Arghakhanchi |
| 7 | Prof. Dr. Bibhuti Ranjan Jha |
Manbhawan 5, Lalitpur |
| 8 | Prof. Dr. Bhola Thapa |
New Baneshwor 10, Kathmandu |
| 9 | Prof. Dr. Kanhaiya Jha |
Katunje, Bhaktapur |
| 10 | Prof. Dr. Janardan Lamichhane |
Kalanki Dhungeadda, Kathmandu |
| 11 | Prof. Dr. Manish Pokharel |
New Baneshwor, Kathmandu |
| 12 | Prof. Dr. Bim Prasad Shrestha |
Bhimsensthan 20, Kathmandu |
| 13 | Prof. Dr. Bed Mani Dahal |
Mulpani Kageshwari 6, Kathmandu |
| 14 | Prof. Dr. Rajesh Nepal |
Biratnagar 4, Kanchanbari |
| 15 | Prof. Dr. Achyut Prasad Wagle |
Mahendrajyoti 7, Kabhre |
| 16 | Prof. Dr. Dhiraj Giri |
Shrikot, Baitadi |
Prof. Dr. Bhola Thapa, the current Vice-Chancellor, will complete his term on January 19, 2025 (Magh 6, 2081 BS). He has applied for reappointment, along with other prominent KU figures. These include Achyut Prasad Wagle, KU's Registrar; Bal Chandra Luitel, Dean of the School of Education; Manish Pokharel, Dean of the School of Engineering; and Janardan Lamichhane, Dean of the School of Science.
Additionally, several distinguished professors from various KU departments have expressed interest in the position. Prof. Dr. Bed Mani Dahal and Bibhuti Ranjan Jha, professors in the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, are among the applicants, along with Hari Prasad Neopane, a professor at the School of Engineering. Kanhaiya Jha, a professor in the Department of Mathematics, and Dr. Bim Prasad Shrestha, also from the School of Engineering, are notable contenders. Subodh Sharma and Megh Raj Dangal, professors at the School of Science and the School of Arts, respectively, have also applied.
Another prominent applicant is Prof. Dr. Shyam Narayan Labh, a Senior Fulbright Research Scholar and professor at Amrit Science Campus, Tribhuvan University.
The committee will now narrow down the 16 approved candidates to a shortlist of three, which will be forwarded to the Chancellor/Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli for the final selection and appointment of the new Vice-Chancellor.
