On Tuesday 25th March, the Ambassador met with Professor Phil Taylor, Vice-Chancellor and President at the University of Bath and spent an afternoon with students and staff for enriching discussions and interactions.

The Ambassador’s visit began with a tour of the University's renowned Sports Training Village, led by Director of Sport, Stephen Baddeley. Here, the Ambassador heard from Professor Javier Gonzalez on his research on diet and nutrition, particularly focusing on low-carbohydrate diets. As an avid tennis player himself, the Ambassador was especially impressed to see a practice session from Bath Tennis Academy students.

During the visit, the Ambassador was also shown the state-of-the-art Interpreting Labs, where he engaged with students and staff from the MA in Interpreting and Translation. He heard about students’ career aspirations and highlighted the importance of their work. The Ambassador spoke a few words in Spanish, which a student translated, creating a lively and interactive atmosphere.

Later in the afternoon, more than 120 students and staff enjoyed listening to the Ambassador delivering a talk on Global Challenges: EU-UK Relations and UK-Spain Bilateral Ties. This was followed by an opportunity for the audience to ask questions on a wide range of topics. The Ambassador answered many challenging questions from students and remarked how impressed he was with their engagement.

The Spanish Ambassador delivers a talk on Global challenges

Commenting on his visit the Ambassador said:

It was a pleasure to visit the University of Bath and meet with the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Phil Taylor, and staff and students. In these challenging times, the friendship between our two countries is more important than ever and it was wonderful to hear about the strong links that the University has established with institutions in Spain through research collaboration and student exchange.

Professor Phil Taylor said:

We were delighted to welcome the Ambassador to the University of Bath. It was a wonderful opportunity for students and staff to discuss issues of global importance and for us to showcase the University’s strong links with Spain, including our excellent and distinctive languages education, and impactful research.