Studied geology at the Universidad de Oviedo (Spain) where he got a B.Sc. in 2000 and continued his studies in paleoecology at the University of Oregon (USA), obtaining a Ph.D. in 2004. After one year working in Thailand (Mahasarakham University), he worked as postdoctoral researcher at the University of Glasgow (UK) until his initial appointment at UA in 2009. His research experience has been focused on the study of biomineralization, biogeochemistry, and (paleo-) ecology of modern and fossil marine invertebrates, in particular brachiopods and mollusks. Recent studies have been centered on the crystallographic analysis of carbonate fossils, geochemical proxies, and developing microscopy techniques for the characterization of biominerals and biomaterials.