Juan A. Fernández is Vegetable Crops Professor at the Technical University of Cartagena (UPCT). Agricultural Engineering from the Technical University of Valencia, he enjoyed 2 PhD grants at the Regional Center for Agricultural Research of the Region of Murcia and a doctorate in Agricultural Engineering in 1995 at the University of Murcia. He has been working on the introduction and development of techniques to produce new horticultural and ornamental species and on the molecular characterization of neglected and underutilised crops. More recently, he is investigating on the hydroponic cultivation of baby leaf vegetables, the use of compost from agri-food industry in vegetable production and the use of LED lighting for indoor cultivation of leafy vegetables, with the main objective of increasing the productivity and quality nutritional of the final product. In addition, he has been involved in developing of cultural techniques to improve soil quality and crop yield and quality. Finally, he has carried out numerous studies on the influence of preharvest treatments in the field on postharvest shelf life of vegetables. His research work is remarkable for his numerous publications, with more than150 articles in journals indexed in the SCOPUS database (h index: 27, 2500 citations), and for his work as a book editor (four international issues of congresses), a book of a national congress and a book that compiles the results of a European project).. He also presents a great activity in participation in invited conferences and lectures. It also noted his large participation in research projects and/or research contracts, with more than 30 in the last 10 years. Within this activity, it must be highlighted the coordination of several projects of the National Plan and public calls from the Region of Murcia, the coordination in the UPCT of three European projects, 2 integrated actions of the MEC Spain -Italy and the management of 12 research contracts with companies or public organizations. In addition, he has belonged to the editorial board of the Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research and the Italian Journal of Agronomy and is currently an Editorial Board member of the Frontiers in Plant Science and Horticulturae journals, and the lead Guest Editor in several open Special Issues. He has organized four prestigious international congresses under the auspices of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). He has also been a reviewer of numerous JCR articles. He has supervised six doctoral thesis and numerous final projects and master's degree projects. He has been characterized by its continuous transfer of knowledge to the productive sector, coauthoring the various books and publications. He has also completed four stays as a visiting professor in research centers of recognized international prestige. He has been Chairman of the Working Groups of the ISHS "Protected Cultivation in Mild Winter Climates " (from 2012 to 2019) and "Nettings in Horticulture" (from 2015 to 2019). Finally, he has been President of the Ornamentals Group of the Spanish Society of Horticultural Sciences from April 1999 to May 2003 and is currently 2nd Vice President of the above-mentioned society and the Researcher in charge of the R & D Group of the UPCT, Hortofloricultura Mediterránea " (since January 2004).