The past February 8th 2020, Joan Vicent Pelechano Fabregat, driving force behind the ETSE-UV creation, passed away.

Joan Pelechano, professor since the early 1970s at the Universitat de València, was Director of the Department of Computer Science and Electronics between 1995 and 1999, year in which he was elected Dean of the Faculty of Physics. He was re-elected in 2002.

Being one of the main driving forces in the transformation of the technological specialties of scientific careers into engineering degrees from 1993, worked intensely to initiate the creation of the Engineering Technical School (ETSE-UV) as a university centre to improve the organization, pooling and planning of studies and research at the Universitat de València in the engineering field.

ETSE-UV was founded in 2003 and Joan Pelechano was elected its first director, a position to which it was re-elected in 2006. During his period as director, he decisively contributed to the growth of the Engineering studies and their adaptation to the framework for the European Higher Education Area. During this period, the Universitat de València with the then Principal Francisco Tomás, also carried out under the direction of Professor Pelechano the design and construction of the current facilities of the Engineering Technical School which were finally inaugurated in 2011.

During his university career, he actively participated in the University Research Institute on Robotics and Information and Communication Technologies (IRTIC), leading numerous research and transfer projects.

Last year he participated in the commemoration events of the 25th anniversary of the Engineering studies in the Universitat de València (watch video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA7TxbdFM8U), at the assembly hall named after him (The Room ‘Joan Pelechano’).