Rectorial elections: five candidacies confirmed
Five professors are standing for the position of Rector of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice for the six-year academic term 2026/27–2031/32. The deadline for submitting candidacies closed at midnight on Wednesday 22 April. The new Rector will take office on 1 October 2026, succeeding Rector Tiziana Lippiello.
The following candidates have formally announced their candidacies and presented their programmes: Carlo Bagnoli, Professor of Business Administration at the Venice School of Management; Carlo Barbante, Professor of Analytical Chemistry in the Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics; Giacomo Pasini, Professor of Econometrics in the Department of Economics; Filippomaria Pontani, Professor of Greek and Latin Philology in the Department of Humanities; and Marco Sgarbi, Professor of History of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage.
The programmes are published on the University website page dedicated to the elections.[ITA]
Brief biographies submitted by the candidates
Carlo Bagnoli
I am 56 years old, live in Venice, and am a Full Professor of Strategic Innovation, with 128 scientific publications and 3,575 citations. I have received the departmental teaching award three times and the University-level award once. I have promoted the creation of two university spin-offs and the Strategy Innovation Forum, which, over ten editions, has involved 275 partners, 500 speakers and 2,800 participants. At the inter-university level, I have promoted the Smact Competence Center, involving the nine universities of the Triveneto area and over 100 private companies, as well as two Regional Innovative Networks. At the national level, I have contributed to the Future Farming Initiative, a technological infrastructure for innovation. I have served as the Rector’s delegate for Relations with Businesses and the Region, President of the Master’s degree in Administration, Finance and Control, coordinator of the IV Commission of the Univeneto Foundation and of the School of Management of the Challenge School, and member of the Board of Directors of the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice Foundation.
Carlo Barbante
Carlo Barbante is Professor at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, a member of the Board of Directors (2015-2020) and recipient of an ERC Advanced Grant. A specialist in palaeoclimate reconstructions, he is the author of over 350 high-impact publications and ranks among the top 2% most cited scientists according to the Stanford University ranking (2019). A member of the Accademia dei Lincei, Vice-President of the Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei Quaranta and Secretary of the Science Class of the Istituto Veneto, he leads major international projects and serves on national and international scientific committees. He is currently President of the International Centre for Climate Change Studies and Research. He has recently received the Minister of Culture Award (2024) and the Canneri Medal of the Italian Chemical Society (2025). He is also active in science communication.
Giacomo Pasini
I was born in Padua. I graduated there, completed my PhD at Ca’ Foscari, and undertook a postdoc in Utrecht. I have studied and worked at Stanford, Harvard, Frankfurt and St Gallen, and have always returned here. I currently head the Department of Economics. I am Associate Editor of Health Economics and a member of the management board of SHARE, Europe’s first research infrastructure in the social sciences. Previously, I held a permanent position in a large company. I chose to return to academia because I believe in the public value of research and education. I am the father of Alessandro and Pietro. I have played rugby for many years. I believe that good governance is an act of care: for people, for our University and for our city.
Filippomaria Pontani
Filippomaria Pontani teaches Classical Philology at Ca’ Foscari University. He studied at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa and is a member of the Accademia dei Lincei. For years he has worked on the edition of ancient commentaries on Homer’s Odyssey, has uncovered previously unpublished or rare texts in Byzantine manuscripts, studies Greek versification in European Humanism and translates Modern Greek authors. He writes for Il Fatto Quotidiano and for the Sunday supplement of Il Sole 24 Ore. After six years in the Academic Senate, he has served on Ca’ Foscari’s Board of Directors for the past three years. For six years, he has coordinated the inter-university PhD in Ancient Studies (Venice, Udine, Trieste). For fifteen years, he has co-directed, with Alberto Camerotto, the “Classici Contro” series.
Marco Sgarbi
Marco Sgarbi (b. 1982) is a Full Professor of the History of Philosophy at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, where he teaches and conducts research in Renaissance and early modern philosophy. After completing his PhD in philosophy at the University of Verona, he pursued an international academic career, holding visiting professorships and research fellowships at prestigious institutions and European research centres. His research interests include Aristotelianism, Kantian philosophy, the history of logic and the history of ideas. He has led and coordinated numerous national and international research projects, securing significant competitive funding. He is the author of numerous monographs and scholarly articles, actively contributes to contemporary philosophical debate, and serves on editorial and scientific boards of journals and academic institutions.
Election dates and electorate
The official call, issued by Carlo Carraro, Dean of Full Professors, has set the election dates for 12, 14 and 18 May 2026, with a possible run-off on 21 May 2026. Voting will take place online from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.. The election silence period begins on 11 May 2026.
Who can vote? The electorate currently consists of academic staff (688), technical-administrative staff (749) and foreign language assistants (CEL) (74), as well as members of the Student Assembly (30). Votes cast by technical and administrative staff and by foreign language assistants are weighted at 25% of those of the other eligible voters.
Candidate presentation assemblies
The University has organised three assemblies to present the candidates to the Ca’ Foscari community:
27 April 2026, 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Guido Cazzavillan, Aula Magna, San Giobbe Economics Campus
Fondamenta San Giobbe, Cannaregio 873, Venice
Chair: Prof. Roberto Senigaglia, President of the Central Electoral Committee
29 April 2026, 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Santa Margherita – Emanuele Severino Auditorium
Dorsoduro 3689, Campo Santa Margherita, Venice
Chair: Prof. Agar Brugiavini, Deputy President of the Central Electoral Committee
4 May 2026, 3:0 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Danilo Mainardi Auditorium, Scientific Campus
Via Torino 155, Venice Mestre
Chair: Prof. Roberto Senigaglia, President of the Central Electoral Committee
Registration and questions
Participants may attend more than one assembly; however, they are asked to choose only one mode of participation (in person or via Zoom).
If time allows, a selection of questions will be drawn at every assembly from those submitted by 2:00 p.m. the day before the assembly to aff.generali@unive.it.
Questions must be addressed to all candidates. Each person may submit only one question.
