New Board Members Appointed

The Association for European Life Science Universities (ICA) has appointed new members to its Board at an Extraordinary General Assembly held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, on 15 October 2026, alongside the ICA Rectors and Deans Forum 2026.

The Extraordinary General Assembly took place at the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca (USAMV Cluj-Napoca), bringing together representatives of ICA member institutions to address the Association’s governance and appoint new Board members.

Maria Knutsson Wedel continues as President, while six new members join the Board, bringing new perspectives and experience from across the European life science university community. Eva Schulev-Steindl was appointed Vice-President, and Frank Monahan was appointed Treasurer.

The new Board members are:

• Aleksandar Mešić, Dean, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Croatia

• Christoph Schneider, Rector, University of Hohenheim, Germany

• Ragnheiður Thórarinsdóttir, Rector, Agricultural University of Iceland

• Cornel Cătoi, Rector, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Romania

• Christophe Clément, President, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, France

• Marta Mendel, Vice-Rector, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland

ICA extends its sincere thanks to the outgoing Board members whose terms have come to an end for their commitment and contributions to the Association:

• Michał Zasada, former Vice-President

• Jos van Orshoven, former Treasurer

• Marina Pintar

• José Luís Teixeira de Abreu Medeiros Mourão

• Ritva Toivonen

Their service has helped advance ICA’s work to strengthen cooperation among European life science universities and support their contribution to education, research and innovation.

Looking ahead

The General Assembly took place back to back with the ICA Rectors and Deans Forum 2026, hosted by USAMV Cluj-Napoca on 15–16 October under the theme “The Strategic Role of Life Science Universities for Food Systems Resilience and Global Food Security”.

The Forum brought together university leaders and other stakeholders to explore how life science universities can contribute to resilient food systems and global food security. Together, the two events provided an opportunity to address ICA’s future governance while discussing the role of its member institutions in responding to shared European and global challenges.

Discover the new Board and its members on the ICA Board webpage.

Read more about the ICA Rectors and Deans Forum 2026.