María Iraburu

VICE PRESIDENT OF FACULTY AFFAIRS

She was born in Pamplona in 1964.  She received a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Navarra. She defended her doctoral thesis in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 1992 and between 1993 and 1996 she did a postdoctoral stay at the Liver Research Center of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in New York. In the 2018-19 academic year she completed the Senior Management Program (PADE) at the IESE Business School of the University of Navarra.

In 1996 she joined the University of Navarra. Since then, she has combined her research career with teaching and as Vice President on the Office of the Executive Council of the University. She has been Principal Investigator of 7 research projects funded by the Government of Navarra, the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs and the Research Plan of the University of Navarra, and has supervised 8 doctoral theses. Her work has been focused on the study of molecular mechanisms involved in hepatic physiopathology. She has taught at the Schools of Medicine and Sciences as Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and she has also served as Vice-Dean for the school of Sciences. She currently teaches Structural and Functional Biochemistry and Biosynthesis of Macromolecules and their regulation, in the Biochemistry Degree of the School of Sciences.

Since 2005 she has formed part of the Office of the Executive Council: as Vice President for Students from 2005-2012 and, from 2012 to 2021, as Vice President for Faculty Affairs. Since 2022 she is President of the University.

Along with her work in the implementation of the strategy for Academic staff, in recent years she has promoted the sustainability project of the University of Navarra, as well as the development of the Core Curriculum Institute, and the definition of equality and work-life balance policies. She has promoted the Women for Science and Technology initiative, which promotes female undergraduate and graduate students in STEM areas. She is a member of the faculty of the Center for University Governance and Reputation at the University of Navarra.

In 2020, she joined the Board of Trustees of the Catholic University of America. She is a member of the faculty, academic affairs and student affairs committees of that university.

E-mail: rectora@unav.es