In its last meeting, the Board of Trustees of the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals (IBEI) decided to appoint Laura Chaqués Bonafont as the Institute's new director, with effect from January 20, 2024. Jacint Jordana, professor of Political Science and Administration at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, who has led the IBEI since its foundation in 2004, will now assume the position of president, while Narcís Serra, until now president, will become honorary president.

The public and international selection process began in the summer of 2023 and was conducted by a selection committee of six experts appointed by the IBEI Board of Trustees.

Laura Chaqués Bonafont is a Professor of Political Science at the Universitat de Barcelona and a Senior Research Associate at the Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals (IBEI). She earned her Ph.D. in Political Economy from the Universitat de Barcelona and holds a Master's degree in Political Science from the New School of Social Research in New York. With an impressive academic background, Chaqués Bonafont has also served as a visiting professor at institutions such as the University of Washington, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and King's College London. She leads the research group "Quality of Democracy" (www.Q-Dem.com), focusing on analyzing the interplay between governmental, parliamentary, and media agendas across different issues, countries, and government levels in Spain from a comparative standpoint. Her extensive contributions bridge policy dynamics research with key areas of political science, including political representation, interest groups, and the quality of democracy in multilevel governance systems. Recognized for her research excellence, Chaqués Bonafont has received various awards, including the prestigious ICREA Academia award. Currently, her primary research interest lies in the comparative analysis of agenda dynamics, with a specific focus on the roles of interest groups, political elites, and social media.

This transition marks a new chapter for IBEI, with consolidated leadership and an orientation towards academic excellence and innovation in quality training, as well as advanced research in the fields of international relations, science politics and development studies.