Juan Manuel García Ruiz is a Research Professor at the Higher Council for Scientific Research and the University of Granada. He is the founder of the Laboratory for Crystallographic Studies and the Spanish Crystallization Factory. Garcia-Ruiz is an international expert in crystallization of minerals, drugs and proteins. He has directed crystallization projects in the space coordinating more than 30 European, Japanese and North American laboratories, using the Granada Crystallization Facility, the most used crystallization in microgravity. His studies on the theory of counterdiffusion, on giant crystals, on mineral self-organization and on the detection of primitive life are well-known. Currently, his ERC Advanced Grant “Prometheus” takes him to travel to remote parts of the world (Oman, Australia, Ethiopia, Kenya, etc ...) in search of self-assembled mineral structures and their implications in the origin of life and in the synthesis of new materials.
Juan Manuel is very involved in promoting a science-based culture. His investigation of the impact of the idea of crystals and crystallography in the history of art and thought aims to erase the barrier between science and humanities. He has developed an outstanding program of outreach activities, including exhibitions such as "Fractal Harmony in Doñana" or "Crystals: a world to discover" , scripts for documentaries such as "The Mystery of the Giant Crystals of Naica", projects such as the School Crystallization Contest that has mobilized thousands of schoolchildren in Spain and other countries. He investigates the interface between science and art, its history, present and future. He use to writing popular science articles in the national and international press. He is a regular lecturer in different forums and institutions and teaches specialization courses at Universities in Europe, America, Africa and Asia.