Full Professor at the University of Granada. He holds a degree in Physics and a Master’s in Environmental Science and Water Management. He completed his PhD at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the University of Reading (England), receiving the José María Albareda Award from the Spanish Society of Soil Science. During his doctoral studies, he undertook research stays at renowned institutions such as the Universiteit van Amsterdam and the Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques (Météo-France).
Since 1997, he has held research grants and contracts obtained through competitive public calls. His highly multidisciplinary work is rooted in a unique background within the Earth Sciences, focusing on the physical processes that govern the atmosphere, the Earth’s surface, and their interactions. His scientific contributions primarily address mass and energy transfer processes occurring at the Earth’s surface.
With over 20 years of postdoctoral experience, he has conducted research at prestigious international institutions for nearly six years, including the University of Reading (UK), the European Space Agency (Netherlands), the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (Israel), the European Science Foundation (France), Landcare Research (New Zealand), and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Sweden).
His research bridges the fields of soil physics and hydrology, exploring the nexus between soil, water, and climate. His work focuses on water transfer processes between the planetary boundary layer and the unsaturated zone, as well as physical interactions between the atmosphere and the Earth’s surface. A significant part of his research has been devoted to the development and application of innovative methodologies for estimating water fluxes at both local and global scales. Notably, he has extensive experience in passive microwave remote sensing, having been involved in the SMOS satellite mission (ESA) since its inception and overseeing the installation of the first microwave radiometer for atmospheric characterization in Spain. During his postdoctoral years, he also took on management and project leadership roles, serving as Deputy Director of the Calibration, Validation, and Ground Data Team for the SMOS mission.
He has participated in 41 research projects (19 national and 22 international), four of which were international initiatives in which he served as principal investigator. His most significant scientific results are reflected in over 100 peer-reviewed publications, the majority in high-impact journals. Additionally, he holds four registered software patents, all related to hydrological modeling.
He has taught in numerous courses at both national and international levels and serves as a reviewer for various international scientific committees, as well as for a dozen journals included in the Science Citation Index (SCI).
