User Portlet

I was born and raised in Alicante, in the south-eastern coast of Spain, supported by my loving parents Ana and Paco and together with my youger sisters and close friends. I grew next to the sea, with early interests in dinosaurs, astrophysics and cinema. Some franchises that greatly influenced me artistically during my formative years were: Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Warhammer and Pokémon. At the age of 12 my father, a hydraulics engineer by training, introduced me to physics in an attempt to appease my persistent inquisitive actitude. This first contact with science and mathematics instilled a firm passion for the rational understanding of the world, broadly understood, into my young mind. During the remaining years of pre-university education I became determined to pursue a career in theoretical physics and mathematical sciences.

After completing primary and secodary school at Inmaculada Jesuitas Alicante I enrolled in the Degree in Physics at the University of Valencia although it was clear to me that my interests lied somewhere between physics and pure mathematics. Fighting the rigidity of the Spanish university system, I managed to get my first formal training in mathematics at Imperial College London during an Erasmus visit. When I finished my degree I was fortunate to receive the prestigious La Caixa scholarship which funded the Part III masters programme at the University of Cambridge. It was there where my formal training in differential geometry and advanced topics of mathematical physics took place. Alongside my mathematical studies in Cambridge, taking advantage of the vibrant early music scene there, I had my first lessons on the harpsichord and baroque music. This first contact will prove the begining of a long and dedicated process of musical training in an attempt to compensate for the lack of instruction during my childhood. I completed my mathematical education with a PhD programme in the University of Edinburgh under the supervision of José Figueroa-O'Farrill.

From my early years of passionate self-study of mechanics and calculus to this day, my personal drive has always been to deeply understand the mathematical frameworks in which physical theories operate. A fascination for modern physics inevitably led me to the study of differential geometry. In particular I have focused much of my attention on the mathematical structure of dynamical theories, common to both classical and quantum mechanics. I have worked with structures such as Lie Algebroids and Lie groupoids, Jacobi manifolds, Courant algebroids, etc. In recent years I have expanded my field of mathematical enquiry to include categorical approaches to the foundations of mechanics, the mathematical formalisation of the process of physical measurement relating to the use of units and dimensional analysis and, more algebraic in nature, the generalisation of associative structures in search for integrations of n-Lie algebras. Besides my mathematical research I have a strong interest in cognitive science, genetics and evolution theory, and computer graphics and simulation.

I have always felt compelled to share knowledge and appreciation of subjects I find interesting with others, from my improvised playground classes on dinosaur taxonomy in primary school to my recent career as a university lecturer. I firmly believe that communication and teaching is fundamentally integral to science and mathematics, not simply an activity to do ''on the side''. Perhaps this is most clearly reflected in my dedication to the SEMF association as a founder and chairperson. Many of my lectures and teaching materials can be found in this website.