Dr Ricard Santomà, Director of International Relations and Researcher at IQS

What do you like most about your job?

I really like the personal relationships and being able to establish contacts with different people from all over the world. Above all, I enjoy learning every day about any little detail, no matter how small and unexpected.

I am fortunate to be able to work within a fantastic team and at the same time be able to combine the task of international relations with my great calling, teaching.

What would you like to spend more time doing?

I really like spending a lot of time with my family and, if I have time, going for a ride on my motorcycle. I enjoy going to the beach (especially in the winter) and having a nice meal at a restaurant in the mountains. Ah! And I can’t forget going every summer to Burguete (a mountain town near Roncesvalles in Navarre).

What are you proudest of?

My three daughters: Claudia, Alexandra, and Olivia. I cherish seeing how they are growing and the objectives they are achieving. And I really like it when we talk because they need some advice… it makes my heart melt!

What value do you appreciate most in people?

I really appreciate positivity and joy. I am a fan of Frédéric Lenoir who says: “Is there an experience more desirable than joy? More intense and deeper than pleasure, more concrete than happiness, joy is the manifestation of our vital power.”

Where’s a place you’d like to visit?

Well, two: a winding road to take my motorcycle for a leisurely ride along an endless countryside, and any of the forests in the Irati Forest near Burguete.

What’s a dream you’d like to pursue?

Just one? Well, I would like to visit the Shetland Islands in the north of Scotland.

What do you have left to learn?

Well, everything. The list is really long. For example: playing an instrument or learning more languages.