The Board of Trustees of the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC Barcelona) has appointed the current dean of the Faculty of Communication Sciences, Dr Alfonso Méndiz Noguero (Barcelona, 1961), as the future rector of UIC Barcelona. He will take up his position leading the institution from 1 September 2021.

Xavier Gil, who has held this post since 2015 and served two terms at the helm of UIC Barcelona, will be replaced by Alfonso Méndiz at the start of the 2021-2022 academic year.

Alfonso Méndiz is a full professor of audiovisual communication and advertising. Xavier Gil, full professor of materials engineering, will continue his relationship with UIC Barcelona through his work on the Sant Cugat Campus.

The Board of Trustees would like to express their gratitude to Dr Gil for his work and dedication over the years. In particular, it would like to highlight the work he carried out to secure the University's strong position in the Catalan university system and his steadfast promotion of research at UIC Barcelona.

The new rector will take up his new role in September, coinciding with the start of the 2021-2022 academic year and the official opening ceremony.