Ramon Lapiedra, Principal of the Universitat de València between 1984 and 1994, has died
Ramon Lapiedra i Civera, Principal of the Universitat de València between 1984 and 1994, died this Monday, 27 July. He was a full university professor of Theoretical Physics and an outstanding intellectual. Lapiedra devoted his career to show his commitment to public university education and promoting the Valencian language and culture, thus leaving a deep mark both on our institution and Valencian society. The flags on the Universitat de València buildings will fly at half-staff for three days as a sign of official mourning.
27 de july de 2026
Born in Almenara (Castelló) in 1940, he studied Physical Sciences at the Universidad de Madrid, where he graduated in 1963. Later on, he expanded his studies in Paris with a grant from the French government and became a Doctor of Theoretical Physics in 1969. A few years later, he obtained his second PhD (1974) in the same discipline at the Universitat de Barcelona. His academic career led him to become a professor and researcher at the universities of Barcelona and Santander. However, in 1982 he began working as a full university professor at the Universitat de València, where he stayed until he retired.
His research work focus on electrodynamics, gravitation, cosmology, astrophysics and the foundations of quantum mechanics. He published over forty scientific papers in specialised, international journals and directed several research projects.
Ramon Lapiedra took on the role of Principal between 1984 and 1994. The Universitat de València granted him the university medal in 1995 as a way to acknowledge the work he carried out at the forefront of our institution. He was also invested as doctor honoris causa by the Universitat Jaume I.
His academic career also includes his time as a researcher at the Centre National de L Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Paris between 1966 and 1969, as well as his participation in different institutions. He became a member of the Valencian Culture Council (Consell Valencià de Cultura) between 1998 and 2011, as well as a member of the Institute of Catalan Studies (Institut d’Estudis Catalans). He was also part of the advisory commission that drew up the University R eport 2000 (Informe Bricall), one of the main reflections on the future of the university system, which was promoted by the Conference of Spanish Universities Principals (CRUE).
Els dèficits de la realitat i la creació del món (Universitat de València, 2004) stands out from his other publications, to the point he was granted the Crítica Serra d’Or award for it. Later on, he expanded it with his book in Spanish Las carencias de la realidad -La conciencia, el universo y la mecánica cuántica (Tusquets, 2008).
His commitment and devotion to his country’s civic and cultural life led him to serve as president of the platform Valencians for Change (Valencians pel Canvi), where he advocated for dialogue and participation in the great debates of Valencian society.
Throughout his career, he was conferred numerous honours. Besides the Medal from the Universitat de València, the Valencian Culture Council granted him their medal in 2019, which is the highest award from this institution, and in 2021 he was given the Medal of Honour from the Red Vives de Universidades.
The Universitat de València has declared three official mourning days until Wednesday and ordered that the flags on their buildings fly at half-staff as a sign of grief and tribute towards the man who served as the university principal for a whole decade.