María Angélica Fellenberg Plaza

Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies

This Vice President is responsible for developing and implementing the University's policies on doctoral training, research, creation, innovation, and transfer, as well as national and international collaboration in research and postgraduate studies. She also heads the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies.

Duties

• Proposes postgraduate policies and approves or modifies the study plans and programs offered by the Faculties.
• Develops policies for the development of research, innovation, intellectual property, technology transfer, and artistic creation.
• Ensures the proper execution of research, development, and creation projects in terms of ethics, bioethics, and security. 
• Establishes the admissions processes, benefits, and administration of doctoral programs.
• Proposes, reviews, and approves agreements or partnerships with other universities, both national and international, regarding doctoral studies, in coordination with the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the Office of the Vice President for International Affairs. Also approves those related to research and creation.
• Together with the Provost for Institutional Management, directs and guides the relationship with those institutions, organizations, centers, consortia, or other entities linked to the University that focus on basic and applied research, technological development, and the creation, transfer, and scaling of solutions for the public, private, and civil society sectors.

To learn more about the duties and functions of the Vice President for Research and Graduate, read the Regulations of the Organizations that work with the Office of the President. 

Career

María Angélica Fellenberg earned both her undergraduate and doctoral degrees in Agricultural Sciences from UC Chile and holds a Master’s degree in Nutritional Sciences, with a specialization in healthy foods, from the University of Chile. 

She is a professor at the Faculty of Agricultural and Natural Systems, where she has built an outstanding career spanning more than 25 years. In 2023, she became the first woman to serve as Dean of the faculty in its 120-year history. 

Her academic and research work has focused on nutrition and food safety. She was co-director of IFAN, a public-private program dedicated to developing new functional ingredients and natural additives for Chile’s food industry. She also leads a FIC (Innovation Fund for Competitiveness) project in collaboration with farmers in the O'Higgins Region, aimed at promoting food safety and ensuring that food products do not pose a risk to human health. 

From 2020 to 2024, she served as president of the Advisory Council of the Copec-UC Chile Foundation.

She has served as Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies since 2025.