Biography

Professor of Inorganic Chemistry and Director of the Molecular Nanotechnology Lab, a world-leading research center working on the synthesis and application of nanostructured materials for the sustainable production of chemicals and energy at the University of Alicante, Spain

Founder of Rive Technology, a technology-based company that commercializes nanostructured catalysts that significantly reduce CO₂ emissions while increasing energy efficiency. In 2019, W. R. Grace acquired this technology and now commercializes it globally

President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) for the 2022-2023 biennium. Before that, he served as vice-president, a member of the Executive Committee, and vice-president of the Division of Inorganic Chemistry.

For the past 15 years, he has been a member of the World Economic Forum, where he has made a significant impact in promoting the global voice of science through his participation in the Young Global Leaders Forum, the Experts Network and the Global Agenda Council in Emerging Technologies. Since 2012, Prof García-Martínez has contributed to the identification of the World Economic Forum's Top Ten Emerging Technologies and its annual report, which is presented to government and global business leaders in Davos.

His contributions to nanotechnology have unlocked the potential of heterogeneous catalysts for the conversion of bulky molecules by introducing controlled intracrystalline mesopositivity. This technology is considered a major scientific achievement and is now widely used in academic laboratories and chemical companies around the world, saving hundreds of thousands of tonnes of CO₂ per year by reducing the amount of waste and coke that would otherwise be burned to produce green gas emissions in key industrial processes ranging from biomass conversion to catalytic cracking. He is also a renowned entrepreneur. As founder of Rive Technology, the company that commercialises his catalysts, he started, grew and recently sold this business to Grace, the largest catalyst manufacturer.

Prof. García-Martínez is a science communicator who has written several outreach and opinion articles and interviews in Science, Nature, the Washington Post, Scientific American and other publications, promoting science for the global good internationally.

His contributions to catalysis, energy, and chemistry have been recognized with some of the most prestigious awards including 1) Innovator of the Year, 2007, by MIT, 2) Member of the Round Table of Top Entrepreneurs, 2008, by the European Commission, 3) Young Global Leader, 2009, by the World Economic Forum, 4) Emerging Researcher Award, 2015, and Kathryn C. Hach Award for Entrepreneurial Success, 2018, by the American Chemical Society, 5) Premio Rey Jaime I, 2014, 6) Fellow of the International Science Council and the American Chemical Society  and Honorary Fellow of the Royal Chemical Society and 7) vice president of the Council of Emerging Technologies of the World Economic Forum, 2011, 8) National Research Award presented by the King of Spain (2024).