I am staff researcher at the Centro de Astrobiología, a joint institute between the Spanish Space Agency (“Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial” or INTA) and the High Research Council (“Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas” or CSIC), were I act as National Project Manager for MIRI, the Mid-infrared Instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope, and as Principal Investigator at INTA. Previously, I was awarded a “Ramon y Cajal” fellowship, a prestigious tenure-track programme of the Spanish ministry of research, I worked as a postdoc at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid and at the Max-Plank Institut für Astronomie at Heidelberg, Germany, and I received a Fulbright postdoctoral fellowship to work at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, where I also finished my PhD dis-sertation. Since 2010, I am also director of the German-Spanish Astronomical Center, Calar Alto Observatorio, a joint institution between the Spanish “Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas” and the German “Max-Planck-Gesellschaft” in Southern Spain. I have published more than 100 refereed scientific papers and I have extensive observing experience in the most important observatories. These include class 8 metre and 4 metre telescopes such as Subaru, VLT, Keck, Magellan, La Palma, Kitt Peak, and many others. He has even worked with space telescopes including the European ISO and XMM-Newton, the American Spitzer, and the Japanese Akari. In addition, during the last few years I have devoted part of my time to outreach activities, explaining the work of astronomers to the public.