Joan Guàrdia i Olmos: teaching at the heart of Europe

Every honorary doctorate ceremony is unique. The one involving Joan Guàrdia i Olmos, Rector of the University of Barcelona, is no exception. If only because the Catalan researcher's patron is none other than Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier. In the prestigious setting of the Salle des Actes in the Faculty of Medicine's historic building, he declared that this award, as symbolic as it was meaningful, was being presented to his Spanish counterpart " as an academic, a visionary, an institutional leader with that singular vision of openness to other European countries, but also to the world ".

A distinguished researcher

As an academic, Joan Guàrdia i Olmo has built up an impressive academic background dedicated to understanding the complexity of the human mind. A native of Barcelona, he graduated from the University of Barcelona in 1985 with a degree in philosophy and educational science (psychology section), before going on to earn a doctorate in the same field the following year. In 1987, he began teaching as a professor of behavioral science methodology at the Faculty of Psychology and other faculties of the University of Barcelona, and lectures worldwide on topics ranging from neuroscience research to psychosocial risk analysis.

" You have enjoyed a remarkable research career, with over 30 books published and more than 250 articles to your credit. You have led more than 25 research projects of excellence, both nationally and internationally, and contributed to more than 40 knowledge transfer and innovation agreements," Philippe Augé details in his eulogy. A member of two major research institutes at the University of Barcelona, the Institute of Neuroscience (UBneuro) and the Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS), Joan Guàrdia supervises numerous doctoral theses and heads a research group on quantitative psychology. " Your contributions to systems of structural equations in psychology have marked a significant turning point in our understanding of predictive models of social anxiety," adds the President of the University of Montpellier.

Close ties between Montpellier and Barcelona

At the same time, the Catalan researcher has been heavily involved in the management of the University of Barcelona. As Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, before being elected Rector in December 2020, and then recently re-elected on December 5, 2023 for a six-year term. This responsibility at the head of the University of Barcelona makes him a privileged partner of the University of Montpellier, as the two cities have had close ties for many years, not least due to a twinning arrangement dating back to 1963. The fruitful relationship between the two higher education establishments is rich in collaboration. François Pierrot, vice-president of international relations at the University of Montpellier, points to a number of common features, including a commitment to " research of excellence that contributes enormously to their international visibility " and a concern for "the impact of their work on the challenges of sustainable development on a global scale ".

A rich academic collaboration marked by flagship agreements such as the inter-university framework agreement signed between the University of Barcelona, the University of Montpellier and Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 in 2015, or the institutional framework agreement on the perimeter of the I-site signed in 2017, officially renewed at the end of the honorary doctorate ceremony. A double master's degree in water sciences was also launched in 2023.

Opening up to Europe

But one of the major joint projects undertaken by the University of Barcelona and the University of Montpellier remains the CHARM-EU consortium, in which Joan Guàrdia has proved to be a fundamental driving force. " Through your strategic vision, your unrivalled leadership and your ability to rally the other eminent leaders of the alliance's member institutions, you were able to instill a powerful political impetus at the highest level and initiate fundamental change ," notes Philippe Augé.

Gilles Subra, CHARM-EU project manager at the University of Montpellier, comments: " Working with five nationalities, and now eight, is not easy. But the UB style is first and foremost one of great transparency, respect for everyone's word and a willingness to always reach a compromise through discussion. I believe that this approach is perfectly embodied by its president, Joan Guardia.

A shared university future

In a speech delivered entirely in French, the Rector of the University of Barcelona addressed the issues of a Europe of education and research, and the need to build a common academic future despite the many obstacles to be overcome. " The design of a European university inevitably involves change, shared paths, coordination above individual strategy and honest collaboration," he asserts, while acknowledging the ground we have covered: " Over these eight years of working with European alliances, an indisputable reality has been built up. Proof that a wind of Mediterranean fraternity with the scent of Europe continues to blow over Montpellier.