Gabriel Cardona Juanals

Gabriel Cardona Juanals is a Full Professor at the University of the Balearic Islands, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, within the Higher Polytechnic School where he serves as Director since July 2021. Previously, he was assistant director of the Higher Polytechnic School and head of Mathematics studies from March 2015 to July 2021. His academic journey began at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya where he earned degrees in Mathematics (1996), Telecommunications Engineering (1997), and a PhD in Mathematics (2002).

His research has evolved from foundational work in Number Theory to current investigations in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, with significant contributions to phylogenetic networks. He has published over 30 articles in international journals and participated in numerous national and European funded projects. His research spans two primary domains: computational phylogenetics (particularly phylogenetic networks, tree-child networks, and orchard networks) and solar energy systems (including optical analysis of solar-thermal collectors and photovoltaic cells).

His publication record demonstrates a dual research trajectory: one strand focused on mathematical biology with phylogenetic networks as the central theme, and another on renewable energy systems with particular emphasis on optical analysis tools. The OTSun project represents a significant contribution to solar energy research, providing open-source ray tracing software for optical analysis of solar energy systems. His phylogenetics work has established important theoretical frameworks for comparing and generating phylogenetic networks, particularly tree-child and orchard networks.

Cardona has taught more than 15 courses across mathematics, computer science, and telematics disciplines, with a focus on algebra and discrete mathematics. His current teaching responsibilities include Abstract Algebra II and III across multiple degree programs including Mathematics, Computer Engineering, and Telematics Engineering. Previously, he has taught Complex Networks at the Master's level, Abstract Algebra I, and various foundational mathematics courses.

He is an active member of two research groups: the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (BIOCOM) Consolidated R&D Group and the Solar Energy Optics, Virtualised Computing and Energy Conversion Systems (SOLVER) R&D Group. His work bridges theoretical mathematics with practical applications in biology and renewable energy, reflecting an interdisciplinary approach that connects pure mathematical research with real-world problems.