I was born in Alicante (Southeast of Spain) in...well...too many years ago and I studied chemistry in the University of Alicante where I achieved my BSc (1985). After graduated, I got the MSc (1987) and PhD (1990) degrees working at Department of Organic Chemistry of that university. Then I had the opportunity of spending a postdoctoral stay in Sweden at the Department of Organic Chemistry of the University of Uppsala (1991-1992) working with Prof. Jan-E. Bäckvall. I worked there in the synthesis and reactivity of 2-nitro-1,2-dienes, which are compounds extremely prone to polymerize and to give you frequent hard times with messy reactions, but finally we managed to achieve interesting cycloaddition reactions. The time spent in Sweden was a really great experience as a chemist, but specially as a person. You can imagine how can be life up there for someone used to the hot and sunny Spain. Days were cold, but the country was great and people still better.
When I came back to the University
of Alicante, I joined the group of Prof. Carmen Nájera and I got a research grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science. I became appointed Associate Professor in 1997, and since then I have been working in different research topics at the Department of Organic Chemistry of the University of Alicante and also in the Institute of Organic Synthesis of the same university.
As a summary of my scientific production until now, just to say than I am co-author of more than 70 papers and four
patents. I am also the co-founder of the chemical company MEDALCHEMY, S. L., an
spin-off of the University
of Alicante, which produces intermediate compounds mainly related to the pharmaceutical industry.
At present, my research interest includes asymmetric organocatalyzed reactions, amino acid synthesis, and solid-supported
reagents.
I do not have too much time to exercise personal interests, but I enjoy the world of computers, reading old terror tales and listening classical pop/rock music.
