The University of Cantabria declares the position of Professor of Astronomy vacant

The University of Cantabria has declared vacant the position of University Professor in the Knowledge Area of Astronomy and Astrophysics, corresponding to access competition no. 60/25. The decision is formalized through the Rectoral Resolution (R.R. 1270/26), signed in Santander on September 29, 2026, and published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria no. 193, of October 7, 2026, with official reference CVE-2026-7807.

The origin of the procedure dates back to the access call approved by the institution itself on November 7, 2025, announced in the Official State Gazette on November 17, 2025, in order to fill a University Professor position in the area of Astronomy and Astrophysics. According to the resolution, the Rectorate has received a proposal for non-provision from the commission in charge of judging the competition, which determines the closure of the process without an award.

A call that does not prosper

The rectoral resolution declares the procedure finished and leaves the position called under number 60/25 vacant. The text does not detail the specific reasons that led the judging commission to propose non-provision, limiting itself to confirming the receipt of said proposal as the basis for the decision.

With this closure, the University of Cantabria does not incorporate any new professor to the area of Astronomy and Astrophysics through this route, leaving the position unfilled after the full development of the access competition.

Competence and legal basis

The Rectorate acts by virtue of the powers granted by Article 50 of Organic Law 2/2023, of March 22, of the University System, in relation to Article 134.9 of the Statutes of the University of Cantabria, published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria on May 10, 2012. The resolution is also issued in accordance with the provisions of the bases of the competition call.

The document is signed by the rector, Mª Concepción López Fernández, and exhausts the administrative route.

Deadlines and means of appeal

An optional appeal for reversal may be filed against the resolution before the Rectorate itself within one month. Alternatively, a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed before the Contentious-Administrative Section of the Santander Court of First Instance within two months starting from the day following its publication in the Official State Gazette.

In summary, the planned deadlines and destinations are:

• Appeal for reversal: before the Rectorate of the University of Cantabria, one month.
• Contentious-administrative appeal: before the Contentious-Administrative Section of the Santander Court of First Instance, two months.

The declaration of a vacancy for a Professor Chair in Astronomy and Astrophysics as unfilled leaves a maximum academic rank position uncovered in a scientific area with limited implementation within the Spanish university system. For the university community and the regional scientific field, the closing of competition 60/25 means postponing the incorporation of permanent faculty into a strategic field, in addition to forcing the institution to decide whether to reactivate the call in the future.

Source: Official Gazette of Cantabria, no. 193, of October 7, 2026, University of Cantabria, page 50323 (official reference: CVE-2026-7807).