ShareThe Governing Board of AQU Catalunya appoints a new member of the Appeals Commission
Doctor Sara Rovira‑Esteva will join COAPEL in place of Doctor Maria Teresa Espinal Farré.
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The Governing Board of AQU Catalunya approved at its 24th session, held on 11 December 2025, the appointment of a new member of the Appeals Commission (COAPEL). The Agency’s highest governing body gave its approval for the incorporation to the commission of Doctor Sara Rovira‑Esteva, Professor of East Asian Studies at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
She will join the commission in place of Doctor Maria Teresa Espinal Farré, Professor of Linguistics at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, who requested to end her mandate as a member of AQU Catalunya’s Appeals Commission. This appointment is made, as stipulated in the AQU Catalunya Statutes, on the proposal of the President of AQU Catalunya, Francesc Xavier Grau Vidal, and in agreement with the Chair of the Appeals Commission, Doctor Neus Vidal Martínez.
Doctor Rovira‑Esteva’s appointment will take effect on 1 January 2026.
Rovira‑Esteva holds a doctorate in Translation Theory and a degree in Translation and Interpretation. At the UAB she teaches Chinese language and linguistics, as well as translation. She has three decades of teaching experience and is the author of several books and more than 50 academic articles published in prestigious international journals.
In addition, she is the principal investigator of both the Research Group in Chinese‑Catalan/Spanish Translation and Interpretation (TXICC) and the Research Group on Literacy in Second Language Teaching and Learning of Translation (GELEA2LT).
COAPEL is the body of AQU Catalunya responsible for deciding on appeals filed against the decisions of the Research Assessment Commission and the other commissions of the Agency involved in evaluation, certification and accreditation. Its resolutions exhaust the administrative process. During 2024, COAPEL resolved a total of 312 appeals filed by university faculty.