Rector

The Rector is the legal representative of the University and is responsible for providing strategic direction, initiative and coordination of teaching and research activities. The term of office is six years. The Rector must be a full professor ("prima fascia") of any Italian university, serving under the full-time employment regime.

As of 1st October 2025, the Rector of the University of Turin is Cristina Prandi, full professor of Organic Chemistry.

She graduated in Biological Sciences at the University of Turin in 1988 and obtained a PhD in Biotechnology at the same institution in 1993. In the same year, she began her academic career as a research fellow, later becoming Associate Professor in 2006 and Full Professor in 2017 at the Department of Chemistry.

She has held several key institutional roles, including President of the Master’s Degree Programme in Chemistry, Head of the Erasmus Commission, Head of the Departmental Spoke Commission for European project design, Deputy Director for Research at the Department of Chemistry, and, from 2019 to 2024, Vice Rector for Research in Natural and Agricultural Sciences. Since 2016, she has represented the University in the National Cluster on Green Chemistry.

Since 2019, she has coordinated the Butterfly Area, a strategic project dedicated to technology transfer and fostering collaboration between the University, enterprises, and institutions. Since 2022, she has also coordinated Spoke 2 of the NODES – North-West Digital and Sustainable project, an innovation ecosystem funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research under the PNRR programme.

An internationally recognised scholar, she is the author of more than 140 publications, two books, and several patents. Her research focuses on organic and green chemistry, with applications in sustainable agriculture and biomedicine. In 2025, she was awarded the "Organic Chemistry in its Methodological Aspects" Research Prize by the Organic Chemistry Division of the Italian Chemical Society.

Her vision for the University emphasizes the formative relationship between faculty and students, support for young talent, the development of inclusive services and infrastructure, the capacity of research to engage with global challenges and the importance of internationalisation and multi-campus development as strategic levers to strengthen the University’s impact and capacity to compete at an international level. Her vision for the future of the university centers first and foremost on ustainability, understood broadly as environmental, social, and institutional responsibility.