PhD in Biology from the University of Oviedo. CSIC Research Professor at the Institute of Dairy Products of Asturias (IPLA) in Villaviciosa. Member of the Board of Directors of the Food Microbiology Group of the Spanish Society of Microbiology during two terms and, currently, Member of the Board of Directors and elected Treasurer of the Spanish Society of Biotechnology. Since 2012, he has been an Expert Member of the FEEDAP Panel of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), where he leads the Working Group on Microbiology.

His research activity at IPLA-CSIC focuses on the isolation and selection of beneficial microorganisms with desirable technological or functional properties for use as acidifying ferments, ripening ferments or probiotic cultures. As a source of microorganisms, he has used traditional dairy products and various sections of the human gastrointestinal tract. In this way, he has performed the microbial characterisation and typification of traditional Asturian cheeses (Peñamellera, Cabrales and Casín), foreign cheeses (Oscypek from Poland and Lighvan and Koozeh from Iran) and other traditional dairy products (yogurts, fermented milks). He has also collaborated in the characterisation of the microbiota of faeces, the colonic mucosa and that of the human stomach. From these studies, he has a diverse collection of lactic acid bacteria, bifidobacteria and other biotypes, many of them well characterised and some transferred to fermentation companies or industries in the sector. He has also studied the molecular basis of numerous desirable and undesirable properties of microorganisms in the dairy environment. His research activity and that of his group in the IPLA-CSCI (Functional Dairy Cultures) can be found on the link of the IPLA website: http://www.ipla.csic.es/cultivos-lacteos

The result of all his scientific activity can be summarised as the management of 18 competitive research projects, the supervision of 7 doctoral theses and the development of 13 research contracts with companies. He has published more than 150 articles in SCI journals (plus 80 in first quartile journals) with which he reaches an h-index of 46; he has 3 patents, two of them licenced to companies. He has also published 15 research articles in non-SCI journals, 25 book chapters and collaborated in the editing of two books.