In 1986, Dr. Fernandez received a M.D. degree from the University of Alicante, and then in 1990, he completed a Ph.D. in Neuroscience with honors. He is currently employed as a Professor and as the Chairman of the Histology and Anatomy Department at the University Miguel Hernández in Spain. He is also the Director of the Neural Engineering Group of the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBER), with a research focus on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) in Spain. Dr. Fernandez is also an Adjunct Professor at John Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah, USA. He is a qualified medical doctor who focuses his research on the combination of biomedicine (molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology and regenerative medicine) and the physical sciences, along with engineering, in order to develop innovative solutions to the problems raised by interfacing the human nervous system. As of late, he has been coordinating several projects to demonstrate the feasibility of a neuroprosthesis through which a limited but useful sense of vision could be restored to profoundly blind, which interfaces with the occipital cortex. He also currently works on brain plasticity and studies reorganization in severe vision loss, and is developing non-invasive methodologies to select appropriate candidates for the implantation of a cortical visual prosthesis.

Education

• PhD (Honors), Neuroscience, University of Alicante, Spain (1990)
• MD, Medicine, University of Alicante, Spain (1986)