The director of the Bioengineering Institute of Technology and vice-rector of Research at UIC Barcelona becomes the first professor of the university's Bioengineering Department.
Dr. Román Pérez, director of the Bioengineering Institute of Technology and vice-rector of Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer at UIC Barcelona, has taken office as a professor at the university in a ceremony held on July 23 at the auditorium of the Hospital Universitari General de Catalunya. With this appointment, Dr. Pérez becomes the first professor of the Bioengineering Department at UIC Barcelona.
Members of the executive committee of the University Governing Board, the president of the Board of Trustees, Miguel Ángel Cazcarra, as well as colleagues, friends, and family attended the event. Dr. Cristina Monforte, professor in the Nursing Department and vice-rector of Planning, Quality and Strategic Development, presided over the tribunal and welcomed attendees.
The tribunal consisted of Dr. O'uzhan Gündüz, a researcher in biomaterials and tissue engineering from Marmara University (Turkey); and Dr. Josep Samitier, professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Universitat de Barcelona, who directed IBEC for 20 years and is currently the executive director of Fraunhofer Spain.
Dr. Miguel Ángel Mateos, a researcher at the Bioengineering Institute of Technology and deputy director of the Bioengineering Department, presented the merits of the new professor. In his speech, he highlighted Dr. Pérez's humility, perseverance, generosity, and commitment, as well as his ability to help those around him grow.
“Dr. Román is a good person with an enormous capacity to help those around him grow and to build teams,” said Dr. Mateos.
After the presentation, Dr. Pérez delivered his inaugural lecture, in which he reviewed some of the principles that have guided his scientific and academic career, including curiosity and adaptability. His research focuses on the design of biomaterials to promote tissue regeneration, an area in which he seeks to understand natural regeneration processes and translate this knowledge into the development of new solutions.
“As a scientist, you need to be curious to try to discover new things and always be at the frontier of knowledge,” he explained.
Dr. Román Pérez holds a degree in Chemistry from the Universitat de Barcelona and a PhD from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya with a thesis focused on calcium phosphate cements. During his PhD, he spent nine months in a research laboratory at Harvard University.
After completing his doctorate, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Tissue Regeneration Engineering in South Korea, University College Dublin, and Ryerson University. He later became a tenure-track professor at Dankook University, also in South Korea. His teaching career has been linked to UIC Barcelona since 2017, the year he launched the new degree in Bioengineering, which he directed until 2023. He is currently responsible for the Bioengineering Institute of Technology and vice-rector of Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer.
His research focuses on the design and manufacture of biomaterials that incorporate biological molecules and cells to promote tissue regeneration. His work has led him to be part of the prestigious Ranking of the World Scientists: World's Top 2% Scientists for two consecutive years, compiled by Stanford University, which recognises the most influential scientists in the world.
At the closing of the event, Dr. Cristina Monforte highlighted Dr. Pérez's career, which includes directing eight research projects, over a hundred scientific publications, supervising doctoral theses, and extensive international experience. Additionally, Dr. Pérez holds ten patents, five of which have been developed at UIC Barcelona, such as the solid cosmetic Drymelt, presented at 4YFN 2025 as Biomelt.
Dr. Monforte also emphasised that the process of accessing the body of professors at UIC Barcelona values, in addition to scientific and academic quality, the integration of the institution's core values. In this regard, she pointed out curiosity and love for truth, professional excellence, commitment to science and teaching, and the person as the centre of everything as traits present in Dr. Pérez's career.
With this appointment, the Bioengineering Department at UIC Barcelona consolidates its academic structure, with Dr. Román Pérez at the helm as the first professor of the discipline at the university.
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