With over two decades of executive management experience in biomedical research centers across Europe and Africa, Joan Vives has led institutions in both the public and private sectors. Before taking on the role of General Manager of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation and the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, he served as Chief Operating Officer at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona, and held key positions at the Biomedical Research Institute of Lleida (IRBLleida), the MRC Unit The Gambia (LSHTM), as well as at CRESIB and CISM in Mozambique.
He brings extensive experience in executive leadership and governance of research organizations, having led complex projects such as institutional transformation processes, scientific infrastructure development, and ICT systems. He has been involved in the design of science policy, technological resource alignment, and risk and business continuity management. Throughout his career, he has participated in large-scale strategic projects and collaborated with various scientific institutions in evaluation, advisory, and governance roles.
Trained in technical engineering, Vives has complemented his studies with several postgraduate programs: a master's degree in operations and services management (ESADE), an international master's degree in health economics and pharmacoeconomics (Universitat Pompeu Fabra), and a postgraduate degree in international development (UPC).