Clara Portela, a Political Science professor at the Universitat de València and a member of our research team, has been named Professional of the Year at the ACSS Awards 2026. The award recognises her contribution to research on international sanctions and export controls.
The distinction is awarded by the Association of Certified Sanctions Specialists (ACSS). Its Professional of the Year category recognises the contributions of specialists with more than five years of experience who have made a significant impact in these fields.
A career combining research and institutional advice
Clara Portela’s work combines academic research on European foreign policy, multilateral sanctions and arms control with institutional advisory work. She has worked with the European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee, as well as serving as a consultant to the European Commission and Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Her career has included teaching at Singapore Management University and working as a researcher at the European Union Institute for Security Studies. This international experience complements a body of research examining the EU’s foreign policy instruments and their effects.
Sanctions and European values
Her recent publications include studies on the European Union’s response to rule of law breaches in Hungary, EU funding conditionality and the use of sanctions to protect human rights.
These topics connect with our team’s research interests. Portela is a member of the project “Crisis of values and identity in the European Union: Democratic resilience against hybrid threats”, led by Susana Sanz Caballero.
Our research team congratulates Clara Portela on this international recognition of her career and her contribution to research on sanctions.
Further information:
News article from the Universitat de València: https://www.uv.es/uvweb/uv-noticias/es/noticias/profesora-clara-portela-profesional-del-ano-sanciones-controles-exportacion-acss-1285973304159/Novetat.html?id=1286509257846&plantilla=UV_Noticies/Page/TPGDetaillNews
Clara Portela’s publications: https://producciocientifica.uv.es/investigadores/334634/publicaciones
