José María Fernández Sousa-faro

Biography

 José María Fernández Sousa-Faro obtained a primary degree in Chemistry (1967) and a PhD in Biochemistry (1971) from Madrid Complutense University. Between 1971 and 1979, he was tenured professor and subsequently held the Chair of Biochemistry at the University of Santiago de Compostela. He also obtained an MBA from IESE (University of Navarra) in Madrid. Between 1967 and 1979, he also worked at the following institutions: Institut für Physikalische Chemie at the University of Basel (Switzerland), Department of Molecular Biology at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri (USA), and L’Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique at the Fondation Edmond de Rothschild in Paris, France, ICI Pharmaceuticals Division (Alderley Edge research labs) and Shell (Sittingbourne research labs). He has over 100 academic publications and patents in the fields of biochemistry, molecular biology, and anti-infective and anti-tumour drugs.  Between 1979 and 1985, Mr. Fernández Sousa-Faro was Research Director at Antibióticos, S.A. He has been a member of the Board of the following companies: Antibióticos, S.A.; ICI-Farma, S.A.; Transportes Ferroviarios Especiales, S.A. (Transfesa); Pescanova, S.A.; Cooper Zeltia, S.A.; Biolys, S.A.; ICI-Zeltia, S.A.; Penibérica; S.A.; Banco Guipuzcoano, S.A.; and Zeltia. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Genómica, S.A. and Sylentis, S.A., and a director of Zelnova, S.A. (all three companies are owned by PharmaMar). He is also Chairman of Fundación Bankinter para la Innovación. He received an Honorary Doctorate from Antonio de Nebrija University and was awarded Spain’s National Biotechnology Prize, both in 2009.  

Research Interest

 His area of research interest includes:  Genomics, biochemistry, molecular biology, and anti-infective and anti-tumour drugs and also Business Management in pharmaceutical technologies, biotech and pharmaceutical sciences