Dr Montserrat Nebrera (Barcelona, 1961) has been appointed dean of the Faculty of Law at UIC. A lecturer in Constitutional Law since the 1997-1998 academic year, she has been affiliated with the University since its inception, building an extensive teaching and academic career. At UIC, she has served as director of the Centre for Advanced Social Studies (CESA), vice-rector for the University Community and vice-dean of the Faculty of Law. She currently also heads the Carlemany Institute for European Studies.

Holder of a PhD in Law from the University of Barcelona and an undergraduate degree in Political Philosophy and Classical Philology, Nebrera specialises in Constitutional Law, State theory and political thought. Throughout her career, she has combined teaching with research and public engagement and has authored numerous publications on law, political philosophy and current institutional affairs. Outside the university world, she is a regular voice in the media, where she frequently contributes to programmes and discussions analysing legal, political and social issues. She has also been a member of the Parliament of Catalonia, a member of the Cercle d’Economia and director of the Cambó Foundation Institute.

The new dean takes on this role with a commitment to furthering the Faculty’s academic excellence. In this regard, she identifies the staff as one of the Faculty’s key assets: “I am very fortunate to have an excellent team, both among the teaching and service staff. I have known them for many years, and I know they will support me in this new chapter with great enthusiasm and commitment.”

Her priorities include continuing to support the academic careers of the teaching staff, increasing the number of accredited lecturers and strengthening the Faculty’s academic programmes. Another major challenge for the new dean will be to update Law studies in response to the impact of artificial intelligence. As she explains, it is necessary to “undertake a comprehensive review of and adapt the degree programme in light of the emergence of AI”, while remaining true to the values that define UIC’s educational model. “We want our students to graduate not only with a degree but also a solid grounding in the humanities and a deep commitment to society,” she affirmed, highlighting mentoring as a key tool for the students’ holistic education.

Finally, strengthening the Faculty’s institutional profile will be another key focus of her term. The aim, according to her, is to “establish the Faculty as a key reference”, by expanding its relationships with legal institutions and organisations, promoting the Carlemany Institute for European Studies as a leading forum for addressing the major challenges facing law within the European Union and fostering cooperation with other specialised centres across Catalonia and Spain.