The decision was made by the university’s Board of Directors through a secret ballot, with a majority of its members voting in favour, in accordance with the institution’s Statute.
Her election followed a proposal by the University of Montenegro’s Senate, which had previously supported her candidacy by a majority vote. During the process, Orović presented her programme for the university’s future development, focusing on improving the quality of education and research, strengthening student support and academic excellence, fostering an inclusive and socially responsible academic community, and expanding cooperation with the wider community and business sector.
Irena Orović graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Montenegro in 2005, completed her master’s studies in 2006 and earned her doctorate in 2010, specialising in time-frequency analysis and signal processing.
She was appointed full professor in 2020 and has since established a strong academic and research profile, publishing around 150 scientific papers, nearly 80 of them in leading international journals indexed in the SCI and SCIE databases. She has also co-authored five textbooks and contributed to books and encyclopaedias published by international publishers including Springer, CRC Press and Wiley.
Her academic career has included research stays at institutions in France, Germany and the United States. Among her distinctions are an award from the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts, the University of Montenegro’s plaque for its best graduate in technical, natural and mathematical sciences, the TRIMO award for the best doctoral dissertation, and a Ministry of Science award recognising the most successful woman in science.
As rector, she will lead the university through the 2027–2030 term, with her stated priorities centred on academic quality, research development and stronger links between the institution and society.
