He began his scientific career studying the adaptation of Mediterranean sclerophyll shrubs to drought, paying special attention to the comparison between endemic and non-endemic species, finishing his PhD in this subject in 2004. Afterwards, he has participated in several projects devoted to the study of crops (like Grapevine and perennial grasses for forage and biomass production) and ornamental species to drought. He is now involved in the study of the causes and consequences of the tradeoff between productivity and desiccation tolerance in plants, as well as in the identification and selection of new species and varieties interesting in gardening, landscape and extensive agriculture in the Mediterranean area.