The new rector is 53 years old and was the sole candidate, succeeding Rui Vieira de Castro, who held the position for the past eight years.
Pedro Arezes served as the president of the School of Engineering at the University of Minho from 2019 to 2025 and was also the national director of the MIT Portugal Program for nearly a decade.
He holds a degree in Production Engineering and a PhD in Production and Systems Engineering from UMinho, where he has developed his academic career since 1995.
He has coordinated over 50 national and international research projects and published more than 150 scientific articles in the fields of ergonomics, human factors, and safety.
The action plan he presented is based on three areas of focus: enhancement and inclusion; innovation and modernization; autonomy, simplification, and transparency.
Specific proposals include creating a quick and sustainable connection between the Gualtar and Azurém campuses and implementing a university mobility plan, which includes partially car-free zones, the creation of internal bike paths, and promoting public transportation.
The new rector also aims to support the establishment of the Academic Association’s headquarters and ensure student participation in the supervision of the new residence projects.
He also proposes the creation of collaborative university housing pilot projects in coordination with the Municipal Councils of Braga and Guimarães, complementing the ongoing residence projects.
In total, there are over 100 pages and 175 actions to be developed throughout the mandate, which extends until 2029.
Pedro Arezes will have as vice-rectors João Cardoso Rosas (Culture, Inclusion, and Social Responsibility), Cristina Dias (Education and Academic Organization), António Salgado (Research and Scientific Policy), Nuno Castro (Institutional Modernization).
Pro-rectors include Sandra Dias Fernandes (International Cooperation), Raul Fangueiro (Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Knowledge Transfer), Carlos Videira (University Participation and Territorial Connection), Lígia Rodrigues (People, Planning, and Quality), and Tiago Miranda (Sustainability and Physical Infrastructures).
The inauguration is scheduled for December 3.
Previous rectors of UMinho were Carlos Lloyd Braga, Joaquim Barbosa Romero, Lúcio Craveiro da Silva, João de Deus Pinheiro, Sérgio Machado dos Santos, Licínio Chainho Pereira, António Guimarães Rodrigues, António M. Cunha, and Rui Vieira de Castro.
UMinho has 21,000 students (11% are international) in over 200 courses at its 12 schools and institutes in Braga and Guimarães.
It produces a tenth of the country’s science and has about 500 R&D projects ongoing, with nearly 3,000 researchers and professors.
