Juan Manuel Lema Rodicio was born in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain, on August 12th, 1949, into a middle-class family. His father, Manuel, who graduated in Law, was the manager of a family business. His mother, Adelaida, like many other valuable's women of her time, devotes herself to the care of her family, abandoning her career in Chemistry. He married Mariló Garabatos (Biologist and teacher at high school). He has two daughters, Marta (Chemical Engineer) and Iria (Audiovisual communication), and four grandchildren (Luis, Oscar, Daniel, and Martin). He went to preschool in "La Enseñanza," a nuns' college, and later he followed his high school at Colegio La Salle. He studied (industrial) Chemistry at the University of Santiago de Compostela (1966-71), where he also performed his Doctorate (1971-75) under the supervision of Prof. Tojo. During this period, he was an Assistant Professor and, once doctorated, an Associate Professor at the University College of Vigo. He joined the Autonomous University of Barcelona in the 1976-77 academic year as an Associate Professor. In this period, he carried out four research stays at INRA (Lille, France) and INSA (Toulouse, France). In 1985 he returned to Santiago de Compostela as a Professor of Chemical Engineering (1985-2019). He is an Emeritus Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). He has been Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) (1981-83) and Santiago de Compostela (USC) (1991-2000); Promotor and first Director of the Technological Transfer Centre (USC) (1989-1990); Promotor and first Head of Environmental Engineering (2001-2003); Promotor and first Dean of School of Engineering USC (2003-2010), Promotor and first Head of the Spanish Conference of Chemical Engineering Deans (CODDIQ) (2008-2012) and promotor and first Head of CRETUS (Centre of Cross-disciplinary Research in Environmental Technologies) (2015-2020). Supervisor of 61 Ph.D. Theses (13 in the period 2015-20); Author of more than 450 papers and book chapters (H index: 71 (Scopus) and an FWCI 1,47 (period 2015-21). More than 19,000 citations. Since 2020 ranked among the top 2% of highest impact worldwide in Biotechnology at the list from Stanford University. He is the author or co-author of 20 patents (9 European or International). Editor of the book: "Innovative Wastewater Treatment & Resource Recovery Technologies," published by IWA (2017). His former Ph.D. students are at present Professors (11) (in Spain, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia); Associate Professors (16) in Spain, Mexico, Chile, The Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, and Colombia; Researchers in Universities and Technological Centres (Anfaco, Aimen, Ainia, Feuga, Giro, CetAQUA, Medrar…); or responsible for R&D in several companies (Repsol, Abiasa, Bialactis, Biena, Inditex,…). In addition, six of his former Ph.D. students were ranked in 2022 among the top 2% of highest impact worldwide at the list from Stanford University. He has coordinated or participated in 71 research projects founded by the European Union (24), the Spanish Commission of Science and Technology (34), and the Galician Regional Government (13). He has been the Coordinator of the COST Action" Conceiving Wastewater treatment in 2020" (Water 2020) and the Coordinator of the Spanish project Novedar_Consolider, with 12 research groups from Spain and The Netherlands. Sixteen relevant research projects with companies treating industrial and municipal wastewater. Expert of UNIDO (United Nations for Industrial Development Organisation), Vienna, in the "Treatment of Industrial Effluents" area. In total, more than 17 MM€ raised for research. He is an Academic (2016 - ) and President (2019 -) of The Royal Galician Academy of Sciences; Dr.Honoris causa by Autonomous University of Barcelona ( 2023), University of Valladolid (2021), Politecnico de Milano (2021) and Catholic University of Valparaiso, Chile (2015); Honorary Professor of Queensland University (2018); Dr.Honoris causa by Catholic University of Valparaíso, Chile (2015); Distinguished Fellow of International Water Association (2022); Fellow of International Water Association (2014); Golden Insignia of University of Santiago de Compostela (2013); Martinez Moreno Award of Innovation. Madrid (2011); Golden medal of Chemical Engineering University of Valladolid (2010); Babcock Innovation Award (2004); European Prize of Industrial Enzymes. Barcelona (1993); Ingeniero Comerma Award (Ferrol, 1989).