Pilar Paneque Salgado

Full Professor of Human Geography at the Pablo de Olavide University (Seville).  With an extensive career, Paneque joined the Andalusian university in 2000 and there she directs the Global Change Research Lab Research Group. Her research career has been characterised by international activity, participation in interdisciplinary networks and teams -which she has led for more than fifteen years- and by the training of young researchers.

The new director of ANECA has extensive experience in academic and research management, having been, among others, director of Postgraduate Studies, vice-rector of Planning and Quality and director of the Board of Trustees at the International University of Andalusia (UNIA), as well as director of the Campus of International Excellence of Environment, Biodiversity and Global Change (UPO), a project in which she coordinated seven Andalusian universities and the CSIC.

In terms of management, she has also been a member of the European Space, Quality and Teaching Innovation Sector of the Association of Andalusian Public Universities (AUPA), of the Programme Contract Committee of the Andalusian Regional Government's Department of University Affairs, and of the Sustainability Group of the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE), among other working groups.

In addition to this, she has been scientific coordinator of the Geography area in the Social Sciences panel of the State Research Agency (AEI), where she has been responsible for the management of the different calls for projects, networks and human resources of the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation, as well as calls from other public bodies managed by the AEI.

Pilar Paneque was appointed director of ANECA on February 28, 2023, for a three-year term. Her appointment was extended—for the first time in the Agency’s history—on March 2, 2026. More information about her tenure can be found here.