Nikos Minadakis

Nikos Minadakis

Nikos Minadakis is a software engineer, semantic architect and large scale projects manager. He graduated from the Department of Computers Engineering and Informatics, University of Patras, and holds an MSc in Computer Science and Technology. He has expertise in e-research infrastructures design and development, conceptual modeling and semantic information systems implementation. He is a founding member of Advance Services, a deep tech enterprise and was a former technology supervisor and software engineer at the Foundation of Hellas and Technology (FORTH) from 2013 until 2019. He has participated in many National and European Projects, including PHAROS Artreseach, Lifewatch, iMarine, BlueBRIDGE and has co-authored more than 40 scientific publications.

 

Main publications:

1. N. Minadakis, Y. Marketakis, H. Kondylakis, G. Flouris, M. Theodoridou, M. Doerr, G. de Jong. “X3ML Framework: An Effective Suite for Supporting Data Mappings”. Workshop for Extending, Mapping and Focusing the CRM – co-located with TPDL’2015, Poznan, Poland, September 2015.

2. N. Minadakis, Y. Marketakis, C. Bekiari, M. Doerr, N. Bailly, A. Gougousis, S. Nikolopoulou, D. Mavraki, C. Arvanitidis. “LifeWatch Greece Data-Services: On Supporting Metadata and Semantics Integration for the Biodiversity Domain”. In 13th International Congress on the Zoogeography and Ecology of Greece and Adjacent Regions (ICZEGAR’2015), Heraklion, Crete, October 2015.

3. C. Arvanitidis, E. Chatzinikolaou, N. Bailly, E. Panteri, C. Bekiari, M. Doerr, N. Minadakis, Y. Marketakis, S. Faulwetter, K. Keklikoglou, D. Mavraki, S. Nikolopoulou, A. Oulas, E. Pafilis, N. Pattakos, C. Pavloudi, T. Patkos, K. Varsos, V. Gerovasileiou, T. Bourtzis, J. Lagnel, A. Gougousis (and 29 others). “LifeWatchGreece: Construction and operation of the national Research Infrastructure in the framework of the LifeWatch ESFRI”. In 13th International Congress on the Zoogeography and Ecology of Greece and Adjacent Regions (ICZEGAR’2015), Heraklion, Crete, October 2015.

José Antonio Zaíño Rodríguez

José Antonio Zaíño Rodríguez

Full Stack Engineer at LifeWatch ERIC.

He holds a degree in Telecommunication Technologies Engineering and a master’s degree in Telematics and Telecommunication Networks. He specialises in full stack software development, working on both frontend and backend technologies. Since 2020, he has been working in the private sector, focusing on building and optimising software solutions. Currently, he is developing the LifeWatch Search Engine, available at search.lifewatch.eu.

Francisco Manuel Sánchez Cano

Francisco Manuel Sanchez Cano

e-Infrastructure Resource Integration Coordinator

Holds a degree in Computer Engineering with extensive experience in sensor networks, IoT architectures, and research infrastructure integration. Since 2018, he has led resource integration in LifeWatch ERIC’s e-Infrastructure, though his involvement dates back to 2012, with key roles at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI, Amsterdam) and the Doñana Biological Station (CSIC), where he played a pivotal role in the process that led to LifeWatch becoming an ERIC.

He previously worked at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and at the Sierra Nevada Global Change Observatory (University of Granada), focusing on IoT and sensor networks for scientific infrastructures. Earlier, he gained international experience in Austria, working on distributed component communication in a flight simulator research project at Technische Universität Graz & Joanneum Research.

With expertise in scientific computing, smart systems, and data-driven infrastructures, he bridges IT solutions with environmental and scientific research.

Antonio José Sáenz Albanés

Antonio José Sáenz Albanés

e-Infrastructure Operations Coordinator

ICT professional with over 30 years of experience in both the private and public sectors. He has managed large-scale distributed infrastructures with ITIL-based operations and served as CTO, advocating for open-source technologies and standards-based software development, fostering collaboration and technical excellence.

His work spans HPC, big data, and DevOps, leading the deployment of Virtual Research Environments and coordinating cloud security and operations for large-scale solutions. Additionally, as an associate lecturer, he has contributed to bridging academic knowledge and real-world innovation by sharing enterprise-scale project management insights.

Xavier Rotllan-Puig

Xavier Rotllan Puig

Agricultural Engineering specialised in ecology and biodiversity conservation. His research first focused on Mediterranean endemic and threatened flora, exploring plant reproductive processes and their interactions within ecosystems, later expanding to ecological modelling and spatial data analysis.

He has worked in several research centres and protected areas in Spain and Italy, gaining hands-on experience in conservation projects and biodiversity monitoring. From 2015 to 2021, he was a data analyst, GIS developer and consultant at the Joint Research Centre (EC-JRC), contributing to projects on greenhouse gas emissions, land productivity, and environmental indicators. In 2021, he became a Project Officer at the EC-JRC, focusing on analysing extensive data sets to develop indicators related to biodiversity and agriculture. During this time, he also gained experience at the intersection of science and policy.

In 2024, he joined LifeWatch ERIC as a Data Management Specialist, where he is involved in the entire data life cycle for agroecology and soil science projects, including Agroecology, SUS-SOIL, PATH2DEA and AgroServ.

Xavier has co-authored several scientific publications, on ecology, biodiversity conservation, plant biology and ecological modelling, with a strong focus on integrating data-driven approaches. Additionally, he has developed and maintains several R packages for ecological analysis and biodiversity research.

Main publications:

  • https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X2401121X?via%3Dihub
  • https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304380020304191?via%3Dihub
  • https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X21010517?via%3Dihub

Mariela Pino García

Mariela Pino García

Holds a degree in Statistical Sciences and Techniques and a PhD in Social and Legal Sciences. She has over 15 years of experience in a multinational technology company, where she has coordinated and managed R&D&I projects at regional, national, and European levels, both individually and in consortia. Her expertise lies in data science, expert systems, digital twins, and innovation management. She has led industrialisation projects and contributed to the execution of R&D&I initiatives related to data science. Her current work focuses on managing innovation projects, ensuring their successful development and implementation. She is passionate about leveraging data science and innovation to drive technological progress and efficiency in various sectors.

Julio Paneque

Julio Paneque

Principal Software Engineer

Holds a PhD in Robotics Engineering at the University of Seville, where his research focused on the development of perception techniques for aerial robots in complex industrial environments. He has worked in several international projects, including Horizon Europe, ERC Grants, and projects for private companies or inter-continental cooperation. His research has been published in several international peer-reviewed journals and top-notch engineering conferences. In his current role as Principal Software Engineer at LifeWatch ERIC, he guides the development of software, and collaborates in architecture and infrastructure decisions, ensuring that the software systems and workflows are fully integrated, optimised, and aligned with the organisation’s long-term roadmap.

Main publications

J. L. Paneque, J.R. Martínez-de Dios, A. Ollero, D. Hanover, S. Sun, A. Romero and D. Scaramuzza, “Perception-Aware Perching on Powerlines With Multirotors,” in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 3077-3084, April 2022, doi: 10.1109/LRA.2022.3145514.

F. J. Perez-Grau, J. R. Martinez-de Dios, J. L. Paneque., J. Acevedo, A. Torres-González, A. Viguria, and A. Ollero, “Introducing autonomous aerial robots in industrial manufacturing,” in Journal of Manufacturing Systems, 60, 312-324. doi: 10.1016/j.jmsy.2021.06.008

J. L. Paneque, J. R. Martínez-de Dios and A. Ollero, “Multi-Sensor 6-DoF Localization For Aerial Robots In Complex GNSS-Denied Environments,” 2019 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Macau, China, 2019, pp. 1978-1984, doi: 10.1109/IROS40897.2019.8967686.

Joaquín López Lerida

Joaquin Lopez Lerida

Data e-Science Management Plan & BlockChain Officer

PhD in Computer Science and Telecommunications Engineering. He holds the position of Data e-Science Management Plans and Blockchain Officer – DLBO – at LifeWatch ERIC. He holds a Master in Executive Coaching from AECOP/EOI and was working as a researcher in the PhD program at Stanford University, California, Computer Science Department. Since then he has been involved in the development and implementation of projects related to data management and telecommunications infrastructures at Spanish and European level, particularly with topics related to big data, AI, blockchain, semantic web, data management and curation.

Main publications:

▪ López Lérida, J, Mora Pérez, JJ. “La economía de blockchain: los modelos de negocio de la nueva web”(The economy of blockchain: business models for the new web) (B01D03T220) Ed. Amazon Media EU SRL, 2016
▪ López Lérida, J., Sánchez Allende, J. “Computer Networks (second edition)” (ISBN 8448140532), Mc Graw-Hill, March 2004
lende, J., López Lérida, J., Moreno, A. “Microsoft Windows 2000 Administration Fundamentals” (Adaptación al español), Mc Graw-Hill, September 2000

Emilio Luis Jara Fontacaba

Emilio Luis Jara Fontacaba

Degree in Computer Systems from the University of Seville, Master in Business Management. LifeWatch ERIC Distributed e-Infrastructure Control & Network Systems Manager. Implementation, operation, supervision, monitoring and securisation of LifeWatch ERIC network components, on-site or distributed in different locations. December 2020-November 2022: BECOMIT Networking. South Zone Delegate. Networking and Security Consultant. Specialist in SDN deployments. April 2019-November 2020: ICA Group, Service Manager and Networking Specialist Consultant. Specialist in SDN deployments. June 2006-March 2019: SADESI/SANDETEL. Project Manager of the Interconnection and Security Node of the Corporate Network of the Andalusian Regional Government. January 2002-June 2006: Auna Telecomunicaciones. Head of Data Engineering Area. In charge of the Design, deployment and securisation of the Data Network for Services. January 2000-December 2002: Supercable. Data and Internet Network Technology Engineer. Design and deployment of the network. Research and development of customer solutions. June 1994-December 1999: Emergency Coordination Centres (now Emergencias Andalucía 112). Systems and Network Manager.