For the first time in its history, the University of Trieste will be led by a female rector: upon the closing of applications, the candidacies of Ilaria Garofolo and Donata Vianelli have been officially submitted. One of these two professors will assume the highest academic position for the next six years.​

The elections will be held—for the first time electronically—with a first round scheduled for Tuesday, May 6. If neither candidate achieves an absolute majority of eligible votes, a runoff will take place on Tuesday, May 13.​

Approximately 1,500 members of the academic community, representing all its components, are entitled to vote. This electorate includes tenured professors and researchers; technical-administrative staff (both permanent and temporary) with weighted voting (20% of the eligible votes of tenured professors and researchers); student representatives elected to the Academic Senate, Board of Directors, University Sports Committee, ARDIS Student Committee, and the ten Department Councils; and research fellows elected to the Academic Senate and the ten Department Councils.​

The new rector will take office on August 1, 2025, and will serve until July 31, 2031.​

The Candidates

Ilaria Garofolo is a Full Professor of Architectural Technology in the Department of Engineering and Architecture, which she directed from 2017 to 2019. Previously, she led the Department of Architectural and Urban Design (2002-2005), served as the Rector's Delegate for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (2015-2017), and was the Rector's Advisor for Building and Energy from 2019 through 2024.​

Donata Vianelli is a Full Professor of Business Economics and Management and, since 2021, Director of the Department of Economic, Business, Mathematical, and Statistical Sciences, as well as a member of the Academic Senate. She was the Rector's Delegate for Orientation and Job Placement from 2013 to 2019.