Carles Solà i Ferrando, the Sant Cugat resident, chemical engineer and former rector of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), has died aged 80, the university confirmed on Saturday 12 September.

For Sant Cugat residents, his death marks the loss of a local academic whose eight-year leadership of the UAB shaped visible parts of its campus, including Plaça Cívica and the university’s four columns, while he later held responsibility for universities, research and information society in the Generalitat, Catalonia’s devolved government.

Born in Xàtiva in 1945, Solà developed most of his academic career at the UAB. He was rector from 1994 to 2002 and served as the Generalitat’s Minister for Universities, Research and the Information Society from 2003 to 2006.

Changes during his UAB leadership

According to the UAB, Solà helped establish its current Chemical Engineering Department and the Biotechnology degree, described by the university as pioneering in Spain.

  • The UAB School of Engineering was created during his 1994–2002 term as rector.
  • The university began adapting its courses to the European Higher Education Area.
  • Plaça Cívica and the university’s four columns were inaugurated during the same period.

He had previously studied chemistry and completed his doctorate at the Universitat de València. The UAB appointed him professor of Chemical Engineering after he joined the institution in 1977.

Government and academic roles

After leaving the rectorship, Solà joined the first coalition government led by Pasqual Maragall. His Generalitat portfolio covered universities, research and the information society between 2003 and 2006.

His academic distinctions included an honorary doctorate from the University of Southampton in 1999 and the University of Valladolid’s Chemical Engineering Medal in 2005. Xarxa Vives d’Universitats, a network of 22 universities, later awarded him its Medal of Honour for his professional career and commitment to science, culture and society.

Primary sources: govern.cat. Reported by UAB - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, beteve.cat, Diari de Girona, L'Empordà, Regió 7, levante-emv.com, El Periódico, lavanguardia.com, dialnet.unirioja.es, Tarragona21, Betevé, balan.uab.cat, eltemps.cat, Ràdio Sabadell, ddd.uab.cat, R. X, ca.wikiquote.org, elpais.com, TOT Sant Cugat.