Gemma Geis

In this Catalan name, the first or paternal surname is Geis and the second or maternal family name is Carreras; both are generally joined by the conjunction "i".
The Honourable
Gemma Geis
Official portrait (2021)
Minister of Research and Universities of Catalonia
In office
26 May 2021 – 10 October 2022
PresidentPere Aragonès
Preceded byRamon Tremosa
Succeeded byJoaquim Nadal
Member of the Parliament of Catalonia
Incumbent
Assumed office
17 January 2018
ConstituencyGirona
Personal details
Born
Gemma Geis i Carreras

(1979-11-09) 9 November 1979 (age 45)
Girona, Catalonia, Spain
CitizenshipSpanish
Political partyTogether for Catalonia
Alma materUniversity of Girona
OccupationAcademic
Websitegemmageis.cat

Gemma Geis i Carreras (born 9 November 1979) is a Spanish academic and politician from Catalonia, former member of the regional Parliament of Catalonia and Catalan minister of Research and Universities of Catalonia between 2021 and 2022.

Early life

Geis was born on 9 November 1979 in Girona, Catalonia.[1][2][3] Her great-grandfather was a Republican Left of Catalonia mayor of Sarrià de Ter in the 1930s and was later imprisoned by the fascist Franco dictatorship.[3] Her great-uncle was author and composer Camil Geis.[1] Geis and her sister Cristina grew up in the Pont Major neighbourhood of Girona where their parents Martí and Quimeta had a metal workshop.[3] As a child she helped out in the family business.[3]

Geis was educated at Institut Carles Rahola where she was a contemporary of Roger Torrent.[3] She has a degree in law (1998-02) from the University of Girona (UdG) and a master's degree in legal practice from the Barcelona Bar Association (Il·lustre Col·legi d'Advocats de Barcelona).[2][4] In 2011 the UdG awarded her an extraordinary prize for her 2008 law doctorate thesis "La Ejecución de las Sentencias Urbanísticas" (The Execution of Urban Judgments).[2][4] For her doctorate she carried out research at the University of Florence, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and Harvard University.[4][5]

Career

Geis practiced law at the Bar Association of Girona (Il·lustre Col·legi d'Advocats de Girona) but is currently registered as a non-practicing lawyer.[2] She was a member of the Prague Group of Jurists.[2] She has been teaching at the UdG since 2003 and is currently associate professor of administrative law.[2][6] She was vice-rector of Regulatory Development, Governance and Communication at the UdG from 2013 to 2017.[2][6]

Geis was a member of the Girona monitoring committee for the 2014 Catalan self-determination referendum (9-N).[2] She was invited by Carles Puigdemont to contest the municipal elections in Girona but declined.[3] However, following the 2017 Catalan independence referendum (1-O), she decided to temporarily suspend her academic career and enter politics.[3] She contested the 2017 regional election as an independent Together for Catalonia (JuntsxCat) electoral alliance candidate in the Province of Girona and was elected to the Parliament of Catalonia.[7][8] She was re-elected at the 2021 regional election.[9][10]

Considered a Puigdemont ally, she was heavily involved in JuntsxCat and the National Call for the Republic.[11][12] On 26 May 2021 she was sworn in as Minister of Research and Universities in the new government of President Pere Aragonès.[13][14][15]

Other activities

  • Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Member of the Board of Trustees[16]
  • Greenpeace, Member[2]

Personal life

Geis has two children.[3]

Electoral history

Electoral history of Gemma Geis
Election Constituency Party Alliance No. Result
2017 regional[7][8] Province of Girona Independent Together for Catalonia 1 Elected
2021 regional[9][10] Province of Girona Together for Catalonia 1 Elected

References

  1. ^ a b Borràs, Xavier (19 December 2017). "Gemma Geis (JxC): "Si el president fos de la CUP, ara estaria votant la CUP"". NacióDigital (in Catalan). Barcelona, Spain. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "XII legislatura (17 de gener de 2018 - 21 de desembre de 2020): I. Sra. Gemma Geis i Carreras" (in Catalan). Barcelona, Spain: Parliament of Catalonia. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Fanals, Laura (26 May 2021). "Del claustre de la UdG a la conselleria". Diari de Girona (in Catalan). Girona, Spain. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Dra. Geis Carreras, Gemma: Plana personal" (in Catalan). Girona, Spain: University of Girona. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  5. ^ Batlle, Eduard (12 August 2007). "La superació arribarà a Harvard". VilaWeb (in Catalan). Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Gemma Geis, vicerectora de la UdG, serà la cap de llista de JxCat per Girona". Diari de Girona (in Catalan). Girona, Spain. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Otras Disposiciones: Juntas Electorales Provinciales - Junta Electoral de Barcelona" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). No. 281. Madrid, Spain: Government of Spain. 19 November 2017. p. 111442. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Eleccions al Parlament de Catalunya 2017: Composició del Parlament" (in Catalan). Generalitat de Catalunya. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017.
  9. ^ a b "Administració Electoral: Juntes Electorals Provincials". Diari Oficial de la Generalitat de Catalunya (in Catalan). No. 8321A. Barcelona, Spain: Generalitat de Catalunya. 20 January 2021. p. 3. ISSN 1988-298X. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Administració Electoral: Junta Electoral Central". Diari Oficial de la Generalitat de Catalunya (in Catalan). No. 8355. Barcelona, Spain: Generalitat de Catalunya. 3 March 2021. p. 6. ISSN 1988-298X. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Gemma Geis es presenta a les primàries per encapçalar la llista per Girona de JxCat". Diari de Girona (in Catalan). Girona, Spain. EFE. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  12. ^ "New pro-independence platform founded". Catalan News Agency. Barcelona, Spain. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  13. ^ "New Catalan ministers take office under the presidency of Pere Aragonès". Catalan News Agency. Barcelona, Spain. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  14. ^ Calvet, Josep M. (26 May 2021). "Los consellers de Aragonès toman posesión sin referencias al Estatut ni a la Constitución". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona, Spain. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  15. ^ "Càrrecs i Personal: Departament de la Presidència". Diari Oficial de la Generalitat de Catalunya (in Catalan). No. 8418A. Barcelona, Spain: Generalitat de Catalunya. 26 May 2021. p. 1. ISSN 1988-298X. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  16. ^ Governance Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).

Gemma Geis i Carreras on Twitter