Javier G. Fernández received his MSc in Physics from the University of Cantabria (Spain) and in Nanotechnology from Lund University (Sweden), completing his PhD at the University of Barcelona/IBEC in 2008, where he received the Best Thesis award of the year. He then moved to the USA, where he worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University on the development of bioinspired materials for sustainable and medical engineering. In 2015, he joined the Singapore University of Technology and Design as a founding academic member, later becoming a tenured professor. In 2025, he returned to IBEC as ICREA Research Professor and group leader. He is internationally recognized for his contributions to biomimetic materials and biomanufacturing, particularly for pioneering the use of chitin, the second most abundant natural polymer on Earth, in general and sustainable manufacturing.

My research focuses on developing materials and manufacturing systems inspired by biological components and processes. By integrating tools from physiology, robotics, and cellular engineering, I address applications ranging from medical engineering to sustainability and planetary colonization. These bioinspired manufacturing methods harness abundant biomolecules, along with their native designs and synthesis, to create versatile, scalable, and cost-effective alternatives to synthetic materials, enabling circular production across ecosystems from urban environments to future space habitats. This work has driven several breakthroughs in sustainable manufacturing and has influenced science, innovation, and policy worldwide, being described as “the future of manufacturing” and “the missing piece of the circular economy.”