Dr Villà holds a PhD in Chemistry and his research focuses on Computational Biochemistry and Biophysics. He had been working at the University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia since 2012, where he was dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, and between July 2014 and the beginning of 2019 Vice-Rector for Research and Knowledge Transfer.  During this time, he also ran the Computational Biochemistry and Biophysics lab. 

As part of his academic career, Dr Villà previously worked as a researcher at the Biomedical Research Park in Barcelona via a Ramón y Cajal contract, as an adjunct lecturer at Pompeu Fabra University, and as full professor at the University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia.  He has undertaken research stays in universities in the United States, the United Kingdom and Poland. In 2011, he co-founded Ascidea, Computational Biology Solutions. 

The new Vice-Rector will thereby substitute Dr Toni Mora, who was previously in charge of this vice-rectorate for the past three years and has now moved on to direct the Research Institute for Evaluation and Public Policies at UIC Barcelona.