He took a degree in Industrial Engineering in the Basque Country and a doctor’s degree at New Castle and Basque Country Universities. He is a Professor at Navarra University and was a Professor at the Basque Country University. He is also a postgraduate Professor at the National Polytechnical Institute of Mexico and California University. He is a member of the Technology Centre (UK) and the Thermoelectricity International Society. He collaborates with several research centres such as the Russian Academy of Sciences of St Petersburg, Thermoelectricity Center of Ukraine, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel), Universitá degli Studi di Roma, The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (N.A.S.A. California), German Space Center and Institute of Materials (Germany). He directs the research group of Thermic Engineering (Navarra University). He is on the scientific committee of Savi II programme (City Councils of London and Pamplona). He is a member of the Technological Plan of Navarra and Referee of many scientific magazines such as Applied Thermal Engineering, Journal of Thermoelectricity and I.E.E.E. Nowadays, he is directing seven doctoral theses, three of them in the foreign universities with which he usually collaborates.
He wrote a dozen scientific books about Energetic Engineering and Environment such as Conservación de la Energía Térmica en la industria (1994), Manual de eficiencia energética en la industria (1995), Física Fundamental (Tomo I: Mecánica y ondas; Tomo II: Campos y ondas electromagnéticas) (1991), Fuentes de energía (Tomo I: Energía nuclear; Tomo II: Energía eólica; Tomo III: Energía geotérmica; Tomo IV: Energía solar; Tomo V: Termoelectricidad) (2000). He has directed several research projects, financed by the European Union, the “C.Y.C.I.T.” and private companies such as New thermoelectric materials and systems as a gateway to future cooling applications. He directed fifteen doctoral theses and published 127 articles in magazines of the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) and 140 reports in international conferences.
He began to study when he was twenty and worked as a blacksmith, grinder and did farm work. He studied Secondary Education in Lugo and graduated as an Industrial Technical Engineer at Santiago University and Industrial Engineering in the Basque Country University. He carried out his studies by means of scholarships and was awarded Francisco Frank Prize after graduating as an engineer. On 12th February 2009 he became a member (number 53) of the International Academy of Thermoelectricity in Kiev (more information).
At the moment he has eight patents in exploitation. The multinational Bosch-Siemens in Germany exploits them and commercializes the products derived from them.
He was elected member of the European Association of Thermoelectricity in Friburg and took over at the Sorbonne University on 11th January 2010.