I was born in Agullent, a small town near Valencia, Spain. I am the eldest of four siblings, and everything that has happened in my life would not have been possible without the support of my parents. They were born after the Spanish Civil War and, despite the challenges they faced, they sacrificed their lives for me and my siblings so that we could attend university. Another significant influence in my life was my grandfather. Although he was a humble shoemaker, he had a critical mind and instilled in me the idea that we need to understand how things work. This, combined with the fact that we had many different animal species at home, likely inspired me to pursue a career in Veterinary Medicine.

In my fourth year, I joined a lab led by Dr Beatriz Amorena in Zaragoza, where I worked on Staphylococcus aureus and biofilm formation. After obtaining my degree, I began my PhD under the supervision of Dr Juan Saus in Valencia, studying a human autoimmune disease called Goodpasture Syndrome. Although I received excellent training in molecular biology and biochemistry, my thesis did not progress as expected, leading me to temporarily abandon my scientific career. In 1996, I moved to a private university, now called Cardenal Herrera CEU University, where we established the Veterinary School. For several years, my main focus was teaching. However, thanks to the support the University offered me, and my persistent scientific curiosity, I resumed my research on S. aureus and biofilm formation, aiming to understand the molecular basis of this process.

In 2001, we published a paper that significantly impacted my career, describing Bap, the first protein known to be sufficient to produce biofilms not just in S. aureus but in many other species. Fortunately, the bap gene is located in a pathogenicity island, SaPIbov2, which, like other S. aureus pathogenicity islands (SaPIs), can be mobilised at high frequencies by phages. This discovery led me to focus much of my research on SaPIs and phages.

As my research flourished, I moved to the Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias in Spain in 2004. In 2009, I joined the Spanish National Research Council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas). Later, in 2013, I became a Professor of Microbiology at the University of Glasgow, where I spent seven remarkable years as part of the Bacteriology Section, working with amazing colleagues and forming lifelong friendships. In 2020, I moved to Imperial College London as the Director of the MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, now known as the Centre for Bacterial Resistance Biology.

My peregrination would not have been the same without the incredible people I have had the privilege to meet and work with. I want to begin by thanking the former and current PhD students and postdocs for their incredible work over the years, especially those who initiated this amazing journey. My development as an independent PI owes much to Professor Íñigo Lasa, a mentor and friend with whom I spent many exciting days studying biofilms and other intriguing processes. Thanks to Professor Tim Foster, who welcomed me as an independent PI in his lab during two summers, providing invaluable insights into S. aureus genetics. Professor Richard Novick has been a vital collaborator and sometimes a challenger, helping us position SaPIs as one of the most fascinating mobile genetic elements.

I'm also fortunate to collaborate with Professor Alberto Marina. We completed our PhDs at the same institute, albeit in different labs, and later reconnected in 2010 to work on SaPIs, phages, and phages using the arbitrium system to communicate. Alberto is a close friend, and his contributions to the structural aspects of our research have been invaluable. Additionally, I would like to thank Professor John Chen. With John, we discovered lateral transduction and lateral cotransduction, which brought many wonderful memories and significantly shaped my career. We also enjoyed working on other aspects of SaPIs and S. aureus phages together. I am grateful to Professor Ross Fitzgerald and Professor Eduardo Rocha, both outstanding scientists and friends who have played crucial roles in our discoveries. Their expertise in genomic analysis has been instrumental in our research.

I would also like to acknowledge Professor David Holden. Although I never had the chance to work directly with him, his support has been significant in my career. He was the editor who accepted my papers at Molecular Microbiology early in my career, and his recognition meant a great deal to me. Since joining Imperial College, his support and friendship have been invaluable. Lastly, I want to express my gratitude to Professor Pablo Murcia for his friendship and support during difficult times. The beauty of science lies in meeting exceptional people like Pablo, who provide help when everything seems dark. Thank you, Pablo.


AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS

2024- Fellow of the Royal Society
2023- ERC Synergy Grant
2022 - ERC Advanced Grant Awarded
2022 - Fellow of the European Academy of Microbiology
2020 - Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
2020 - EMBO Member
2019 - Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship
2015 - ERC Advanced Grant