UNIPhD Welcome Day

Prof. Fabio Zwirner

Vice Rector for Research – University of Padua

Vice-Rector for Research and Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Department of Physics and Astronomy since 2005. Ph.D. at SISSA in 1987, then at UC Berkeley, CERN, INFN-Padova, University of Rome Sapienza, Author of more than 100 scientific publications. Member (2015-2020) and then vice-president (2019-2020) of the European Research Council (ERC). Member of the Steering Committee of the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics (2104-2022).

Prof. Massimiliano Zattin

Vice Rector for Postgraduate and Doctorate Programmes – University of Padua

Massimiliano Zattin is a Full Professor at the Department of Geosciences. Over the past ten years, he has been involved in governance roles such as director of the PhD School and member of the Academic Senate. Since 2021, he has been appointed as Vice Rector for Postgraduate and Doctorate Programmes. He is the author of over one hundred publications in international scientific journals. Main research interests are about quantification of geologic processes and, in particular, the relationships between tectonics, erosion, sedimentation and climate.

Dr. Andrea Berti

Head of the Research and Business Relations Area – University of Padua

Manager of the University of Padua since 2001, he is the Head of the Research and Business Relations Area. Expert in the protection and valorisation of public research results and business planning of innovative enterprises. Former member of the Board of Directors of Netval, Proton Europe and PNI Cube, and of ANVUR’s Third Mission Expert Commission. Previously, he directed the Human Resources and Finance areas of the University of Padua. Before that he worked in various banks and in the strategic consultancy company McKinsey Italy. He holds a degree in Economic Statistics and an MBA from Dartmouth College (USA).

Dr. Francesca Mura

Head of the International Research Office – University of Padua

Francesca is Head of the International Research Office at the University of Padua. She coordinates the working groups (Individual Projects Unit, Collaborative Projects Unit and EU_Research_Hub@Unipd Unit) that assist researchers in accessing international funds and especially funding opportunities offered by the European Horizon 2020 Framework Programme. The research support services which she manages are addressed to individual researchers as well as research teams and cover the pre-award / post-award phase, as well the proposal writing activity. She is responsible for the implementation of specific programmes promoted by the University of Padua, financing excellent individual research projects and training initiatives dedicated to PhD candidates, researchers and staff members. Prior to her current appointment she has worked in the field of academic planning, managing mobility programmes and joint degree courses. She acted as project manager for European funded projects concerning research (Horizon2020, 6th Framework Programme, Structural Funds) and Higher Education (Erasmus+).

Dr. Carla Marchioro

VP, Scientific Director – Evotec

Carla Marchioro holds a Laurea in Chemistry (Hons.) as well as a Nuclear Chemistry Advanced Master in Nuclear Chemistry from the University of Padua and is an Organic Chemist by training with more than 35 years of experience in several areas of R&D in the Pharmaceutical and Fine Chemistry sectors such as Structural Techniques, Analytical Sciences, Informatics, Drug Discovery, Process Research and Development and Manufacturing. Carla is now working at Evotec as VP, Scientific Director to ensure scientific leadership to drug discovery scientists (primarily within UK, France and Italy) comprised of experts in refining and applying in silico tools and cutting-edge computational approaches to creative molecular design, synthesis and analysis to expedite the delivery of higher quality drug candidates.

Prof. Jeremy Bradshaw

Consultant in Higher Education

Jeremy Bradshaw has an MA in Zoology and a DPhil in Biophysics, both from the University of Oxford.  He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, where he chaired the Biomedical Sciences Committee. Beginning with his own doctorate, Jeremy’s whole career has been devoted to doctoral education.  For a quarter of his career, he has carrier institutional-level responsibility for doctoral education, first as Assistant Principal Research Development at The University of Edinburgh, then as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Doctoral and International) at the University of Bath. Now semi-retired, Jeremy is a Consultant in Higher Education, advising universities around the World on various aspects of doctoral education.  He is also a magistrate and a school governor.

Dr. Dragana Avramov

Scientific Coordinator – Network of Experts working on the Social dimension of Education and Training (NESET)

Dragana Avramov is Director of Population and Social Policy Consultants (PSPC), Brussels, scientific coordinator of the EC Network of Experts on Social Dimension of Education and training (NESET), and Vice-President of the Union of International Associations (UIA). Publications include over 70 scientific articles and 15 books including the co-authored forward-looking “Global Europe 2050” published by EC, and “Evolution Science and Ethics in the Third Millennium”, published by Springer.

Dr. Lluís Rovira Pato

Director – Institution of Research Centers of Catalonia (CERCA)

Lluís Rovira (1968) is Director of CERCA, Institution devoted to coordinate the research activity of the R&D Institutes promoted by the Catalan government. He is PhD on Biology by the University of Barcelona, 1998. One of his main concerns now is the 3rd evaluation of each of the 42 CERCA institutes in Catalonia, through international panels, which will finish at the end of 2024. He is at the same time HRS4R assessor for the European Commission since 2015 and trainer for new assessors.