José Joaquín Hernández Brito holds a PhD in Chemistry (1986) from the University of La Laguna. He has served as Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Marine Sciences, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, since 1983. He has participated in more than 40 national and international marine science projects. At the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, his R&D management roles include Dean of the Faculty of Marine Sciences, Director of the Technology Transfer Office, Director of the Science and Technology Park, and Vice-Rector for Research. He also served as Director of the Canary Institute of Marine Science and as Manager of PLOCAN (Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands). He is currently CEO of the AIR Centre (Atlantic International Research Centre). He is a member of the Steering Committee of the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Ocean Energy (ETIP Ocean) and participates in Ocean Energy Europe and APPA-Marina.