Born in Murcia in 1951, he graduated and got his doctorate from the Veterinary School of Madrid’s Universidad Complutense, carrying out subsequent postgraduate studies in animal immunology and virology at Cornell University in New York. He is currently Head of the Department of Animal Health of the Veterinary School at the Universidad Complutense.

Professor Sánchez-Vizcaíno’s scientific endeavours have contributed notably to the control of several animal diseases such as African swine fever, horse sickness and classic swine fever, thanks to the development of new methods and fast and sensitive diagnostic reagents, new epidemiological strategies and the development of new vaccines.

He has authored over one hundred and fifty publications in international scientific journals as well as several chapters in books of international prestige (African swine fever in Diseases of Swine, African horse sickness in the OIE manual, Trends in Emerging Viral Infections of Swine...) and digital courses dedicated to immunology and infectious diseases. He has directed a large number of research projects and doctoral theses on infectious diseases in animals. He has received national prizes in swine research from ANAPORC 1990, an International Prize "PORCO BRAVO 1999" and first prize for Swine Health and Production (Animal Production 2000). He has been decorated with the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Agricultural Merit (03/12/99) and the Food Merit (05/05/03), as well as the Cross of Military Merit with white distinctive (03/01/03), for his contributions to animal health and in the control of infectious diseases.

Professor Sánchez-Vizcaíno has worked since 1990 with the International Office of Epizootics (OIE) (an organisation which regulates everything to do with animal diseases) and with the FAO on several health missions for the control of infectious diseases and for technological transfer in different countries in Europe, America and Africa. He is a member of the Scientific Committee of the commission for animal health and welfare of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Food Safety Agency (AESA).

His current scientific interest focuses on infectious diseases in animals and in particular the development of new techniques of diagnostics, new generation vaccines and new strategies to control these diseases, as well as the establishment of health surveillance networks.
He belongs to several national and international scientific societies, being the current President of the Scientific Association of Swine Production (ANAPORC).

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