General Council & Board

General Council & Board

General Council

Veronika Sexl

Aurora President & Rector of Universität Innsbruck

Veronika Sexl is a renowned cancer researcher specializing in tumor surveillance and signaling in leukemogenesis, with over 200 peer-reviewed publications and numerous awards. She maintains extensive international collaborations and serves on various boards, including the European Hematology Association (EHA). Since March 2023, Veronika Sexl is Rector of Universität Innsbruck.

Barbara Albert

Rector of the University of Duisburg-Essen

Barbara Albert serves as Rector of University of Duisburg-Essen. She is a distinguished expert in the field of solid-state chemistry, former president of the German Chemical Society and member of the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences. Prior to joining University of Duisburg-Essen, she held professorships at the universities of Hamburg and Darmstadt. At the Technical University Darmstadt, she also was Dean of the Department of Chemistry and Vice-President of Research and Early Careers.

Matteo Lorito

Rector of the University Federico II of Naples

Matteo Lorito has been Rector of the Università Federico II of Naples since 2020 and is Full Professor of Plant Pathology and Phytopathological Biotechnology. A Biology graduate, he conducted research at Cornell University and held academic leadership roles, including Director of the Department of Agriculture. He has authored over 200 scientific publications and has approximately 25,000 citations. He co-founded three startups and developed biopesticide and biofertilizer formulations distributed in 90 countries. He is a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and was awarded the title of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

Wilbert van der Meer

International Office Director

As International Office Director, Wilbert van der Meer is responsible for international academic partnerships at Copenhagen Business School (CBS). He works closely with both internal and external stakeholders to strengthen CBS’s global network, including collaborations on educational programs, research initiatives, and strategic alliances. Wilbert is responsible for CBS’s policies and strategies for internationalisation. Previously, he held the position of Head of Education at CBS and, prior to that, served as Deputy Secretary General at Universities Denmark. Wilbert van der Meer represents the CBS Vice-Rector of Education, Anna Thomasson, in the Aurora European universities alliance.

Simona Gibalová

ASC President – Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice

Simona Gibalová is fourth year General Medicine student at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice). As current President of the Aurora Student Council (ASC), she will leverage on her extensive experience as former Aurora Student Ambassador in the ASC. From collaboration on creating the Aurora Students’ Rights Charter to representing Aurora in the European Student Union, she will brings a unique perspective from an Aurora Associate Partner university to the ASC board for the first time. Simona’s vision for this year involves deepening student collaboration on a local and European level, improving the Aurora Student Ambassador programme and bringing forward the needs of students from associate partner universities. She believes that the ASC is a unique opportunity for every student involved to gain new, outside-of-classroom knowledge, share good practices and gain growth on both personal and professional levels.

Karine Bergès

President of Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC)

Karine Bergès has been a professor of contemporary Spanish civilisation at the Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC) since 2019. Her work, carried out within the IMAGER research unit, focuses on the political and social history of contemporary Spain, as well as the history of women and gender. She co-leads the CREER research team and is an active member of several scientific collectives dedicated to feminist studies and new Spanish historiographies. A former senior lecturer at CY Cergy Paris University (2005-2019), Karine Bergès held positions of responsibility there, notably as gender equality officer. At UPEC, she was Vice-Dean for Research (2020-2022) and since 2022 has held the position of Vice-President for “Science with and for Society”. She teaches in the field of Hispanic studies at bachelor’s and master’s level and co-directs the Spanish teacher-training programme, working with the Créteil teaching academy Her career also includes lectures at Sciences Po Paris, Sciences Po Lyon, ENS Lyon and several Spanish universities. Her commitment to higher education and research was recognised by her appointment as Chevalier in the Order of Academic Palms in 2017, followed by her promotion to Officier in 2025.

Joy Johnson

President & Vice-Chancellor of Simon Fraser University

Joy Johnson is president and vice-chancellor of Simon Fraser University, and professor in its Faculty of Health Sciences. Joy is committed to carrying out SFU’s vision to be a leading research university, advancing an inclusive and sustainable future. Prior to her appointment as president, Joy served as SFU’s vice-president, research and international, and oversaw the evolution of cutting-edge research, innovation and international engagement across eight faculties. Under her leadership, SFU achieved the fastest research income growth of any university in Canada, with a focus on mobilizing knowledge to enhance the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of communities. Prior to SFU, Joy had a distinguished career in academics and research. She is an elected Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and has co-authored more than 180 peer-reviewed articles. Joy is chair of the Research Universities’ Council of British Columbia and chair of the Universities Canada board.

Board

Silja Bára R. Ómarsdóttir

Rector and President of the University of Iceland

Professor Silja Bára R. Ómarsdóttir was elected Rector of the University of Iceland and President of the University Council in 2025. Prior to taking office, she was a professor of International Affairs in the Faculty of Political Science. She has previously served on the University Council of the University of Iceland from 2022-2025. Professor Ómarsdóttir earned her PhD from University College Cork in Ireland. Her research focuses on Iceland’s foreign and national security policy, feminist international relations, and the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Margrethe Jonkman

President of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Margrethe Jonkman is president of the Executive Board of VU Amsterdam, where diversity, sustainability, and entrepreneurship form the foundation of the institution’s strategy.

With a background as Chief Technology Officer at FrieslandCampina and extensive involvement in international research collaborations, she spearheads initiatives for enduring societal impact. Her leadership highlights VU Amsterdam’s dedication to scientific excellence and global engagement, committed to addressing global challenges.

Josep Pallarès Marzal

Rector of Universitat Rovira i Virgili

Born in El Perelló in 1967, he has been General Director of Universities and General Director of University Planning and Research of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2016-19) and, at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Vice-Rector for Academic Policy and PDI (2014-16), Vice-Rector of PDI (2008-14), Vice-Rector for Transfer and Innovation (2006-08) and Director of the Department of Electronic Engineering, Electric and Automatic (2000-06).

Michael Kohajda

Rector of Palacký University Olomouc

doc. JUDr. Michael Kohajda, Ph.D. graduated from the Palacký University Olomouc (UP) Faculty of Law (UP FL) with a Master’s degree in Law and Legal Science. He obtained his doctoral degree and received his habilitation in Financial Law at the Charles University Faculty of Law. He has taught at UP FL for almost twenty years. Since 2020, he has held the position of Vice-Dean – (first for Doctoral Studies, Qualification Procedures, and Finances, including investments; currently he is Vice-Dean for External Relations and Investments). He is a member of the UP FL Scholarly Board and several other boards at the law faculties in Olomouc and Prague.

His research and publication activities focus on financial law, especially on public budgets, taxation, banking, insurance, and capital markets. His main professional interest involves financial system rules and supervision. In recent years, he has also focused on the legal rules related to the issuance and handling of crypto assets. Since 2024 he has been the principal investigator of the Czech Science Foundation standard project Crypto Assets as a Threat to Sovereignty. As regards international cooperation, he has undertaken a number of international research and teaching stays in Europe, the USA, and Australia. In addition to his academic activities, he has a successful legal practice.

In order to contribute to the development of society, he has been involved in politics. Between 2014 and 2022, he was a member of the Šumperk City Council, where he focused on budget policy and investments. In 2021, thanks to preferential votes, he won a seat in the Parliament of the Czech Republic for the Olomouc Region. He serves, among others, as a member of the Budget Committee in the Parliament. He was also a member of the Chamber of Deputies’ special investigative commission on the tragic event that took place at the Charles University Faculty of Arts in December 2023.