website predecessor birth_place birth_date image article_title name occupation
-lsb- http://www.uoc.edu/portal/ca/universitat/organitzacio/espai-rector/index.html uoc president 's page -rsb- imma tubella i casadevall barcelona 1951 josep-a-planell . jpg josep a. planell i estany
 josep a. planell i estany president of the universitat oberta de catalunya
josep a. planell i estany

josep a. planell i estany -lrb- born 1951 -rrb- is a spanish academic .
planell was born in barcelona , graduated in physics from the university of barcelona in 1975 and earned his doctorate in materials science from queen mary , university of london , in 1983 .
since 1992 he has been full professor in the materials science and metallurgy department of the barcelona school of industrial engineering at the universitat politècnica de catalunya .
he succeeded imma tubella i casadevall as president of the universitat oberta de catalunya in april 2013 .
in 2013 , he received the george d. winter award from the european society for biomaterials .
an international jury of experts selected planell for this prestigious award .
he was the first spanish scientist to receive it and he did so `` for his excellence in the research , vision and dissemination of the science of biomaterials , which is widely renowned in the scientific community '' .
likewise , in 2001 he was awarded the catalan government 's distinction for the promotion of university research and in 2006 he received the city of barcelona award , in the technological research category .
he has been member of the catalan royal academy of doctors since 2006 and is an elected member of barcelona 's royal academy of arts and sciences .
