My scientific research aims at elucidating up to what extent the chemistry that takes place in the molecular clouds of the interstellar medium is able to synthetize molecules that are important for driving the prebiotic chemistry that might allowed the emergence of Life on Earth. To achieve this goal, I have adopted a multidisciplinary approach that combines: i) the discovery and characterization of astronomical sources with astrobiological potential; ii) ultra-high sensitivity radio astronomical observations; iii) the development of new chemical models and data analysis tools; and iv) a strong involvement in pushing spectroscopic characterization of key prebiotic molecules in the laboratory. My research has reported the first detections in the interstellar medium and in comets of several key prebiotic species relevant for supporting the RNA world hypothesis for the origin of life. Among them, we can highlight ethanolamine (precursor of phospholipids), hydroxylamine or 1,2-ethenediol (precursors of RNA nucleotides), cyanomethanimine (precursor of adenine), or phosphorus oxide. The combination of my observations with the chemical models have shed important clues about the formation of these molecules in the interstellar medium (ISM) related to the origin of Life. I have also proposed to different spectroscopic laboratories to produce and characterize a number of key molecules in the context of the RNA World to be searched in the ISM.

I am author of 87 peer-reviewed scientific articles (19 as first author) published in several of the most important journals in science such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (impact factor 11.2), in astrophysics, such as The Astrophysical Journal, Astronomy and Astrophysics and Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (impact factors > 5), and also in Astrobiology, Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Science, and Molecules (impact factors >4).

My publications have received so far more than 1888 citations and my current h-index is 26 (source: Google Scholar).

Since 2017 I have fully funded my research and also of my own group (graduate and PhD students and a postdoc). I have raised more than 640.000 EUR from highly-competitive grants.

I have also published 6 conference proceedings, 2 book chapters of the Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) White Book, and delivered 28 invited talks and seminars at international conferences and research institutions. I have been also very active in dissemination and outreach activities, giving public talks, Youtube talks/discussions and published outreach articles in scientific magazines, such as Investigación y Ciencia (Spanish version of Scientific American), the Boletín of the Spanish Astronomical Society, or the Colle di Galileo journal, and several chapter books and scientific blogs for a general audience. More than 25 press releases based on my work have been selected by world-leading research institutions and scientific journals.

I have chaired or co-chaired three Scientific Organising Committees of international conferences and participated in the organization of another three. I have served in several international advisory panels of world leading facilities in Astronomy and actively participate in several international networks.