Today, August 1, 2025, marks the beginning of the term of Rector Donata Vianelli, the first woman to lead the University of Trieste.

A Full Professor of Business Economics and Management, Vianelli is the sixteenth person to hold the role of highest academic authority at the University of Trieste since its founding.

She succeeds Roberto Di Lenarda, with whom a formal handover took place today, in a spirit of full cooperation and institutional continuity.

Donata Vianelli previously served as Director of the Department of Economic, Business, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. From 2013 to 2019, she was the Rector’s Delegate for Student Orientation and Job Placement, representing UniTS in Almalaurea, in the University-Business Observatory, and in the CRUI Ranking Group.

Graduating with honors from the University of Trieste, Vianelli earned her PhD in Business Administration from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. Her research interests include business internationalization, corporate strategy, sustainability, and supply chain management, with over 130 publications and numerous collaborations in Europe, the United States, and China.

Vianelli will be supported by Mauro Tretiach, Full Professor of General Botany and former Director of the Department of Life Sciences, who will serve as Deputy Rector for the next six years, succeeding Professor Valter Sergo.

Her term will conclude on July 31, 2031.