EUNICE renews the leadership of its legal entity and the Board of Directors
EUNICE reaffirms its ambition to build a permanent, inclusive and transformative European University Alliance with the election of new leadership for both the EUNICE AISBL and the EUNICE Board of Directors. The General Assembly elected Prof. Teofil Jesionowski, Rector of the Poznan University of Technology, as the new President of EUNICE AISBL. The elections mark an important milestone in the alliance’s ongoing development as a permanent and integrated European University, bringing together experienced leaders from across the EUNICE community to guide its future growth and strategic direction.
The AISBL (Association Internationale Sans But Lucratif) is the legal entity of the EUNICE alliance. Established to provide EUNICE with a stable and sustainable governance framework, it enables the alliance to operate beyond individual project cycles, supports long-term strategic planning, and represents EUNICE’s collective interests at the European level. The President of the AISBL provides strategic leadership and oversees the further institutional development of the alliance.
EUNICE Board of Directors
The alliance also elected Maria Figueiredo, Pro-President for EUNICE at the Polytechnic University of Viseu (Portugal), as President of EUNICE Board of Directors, and Gabriel Moncalián, Vice-Rector for University Transformation at the University of Cantabria (Spain), as Vice-President. The Board of Directors serves as the executive body of the alliance, responsible for implementing strategic decisions adopted by EUNICE’s governing structures and coordinating institutional cooperation among the member universities. It plays a central role in advancing initiatives in education, research, mobility, innovation and governance across the alliance.
Teofil Jesionowski
Maria Figueiredo
Gabriel Moncalián
About the new leadership
Prof. Teofil Jesionowski is serving his second term as Rector of Poznan University of Technology, where he has built his academic career over more than three decades. A professor of chemical sciences, his research focuses on the design and functionalisation of advanced materials, biomaterials and biocomposites, with applications in environmental protection, medicine and nanotechnology. His scientific record includes more than 600 publications and 38 patents, as well as eight technologies implemented in practice; he has also supervised 27 completed doctoral dissertations. A corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Sciences, he holds several leadership roles in Polish higher education, including serving as Chair of the College of Rectors of the City of Poznań, a member of the Presidium of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland, and President of the Academy of Engineering in Poland. His career combines scientific achievement with institutional leadership and a sustained commitment to international academic cooperation.
Prof. Maria Figueiredo currently serves as Pro-President for EUNICE at the Polytechnic University of Viseu, playing a key role in the institution’s participation in the European University alliance since it joined EUNICE in 2023. With extensive experience in European projects, educational research and international academic cooperation, she was a member of the Executive Board of the European Educational Research Association (EERA) from 2010 to 2024 and has served on the Board of the Portuguese Society of Educational Sciences (SPCE) since 2017. Within her institution, she has also led initiatives in pedagogical innovation and curriculum development.
Prof. Gabriel Moncalián is Vice-Rector for University Transformation at the University of Cantabria and has been closely involved in EUNICE since 2021, when he became the university’s lead representative for the alliance. As a Professor of Genetics and principal investigator at the Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria , Prof. Moncalián holds a PhD in Chemical Sciences from the University of Cantabria and completed postdoctoral research at the Scripps Research Institute in California and the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO). His career combines excellence in research, teaching, internationalisation and university management.
