Javier Merchán-Sánchez-Jara

Javier Merchán-Sánchez-Jara is a Professor at the University of Salamanca, affiliated with the Faculty of Translation and Documentation and the Department of Information and Documentation. He completed his doctoral studies in 2019 through the FPU (Formación del Profesorado Universitario) program with a dissertation titled 'Hacia un modelo hipermedia para la edición académica de textos musicales en la esfera digital basado en el standard MEI (Music Encoding Initiative); integración de tradiciones ocultas dentro del paradigma de la edición social.'

His academic journey includes a Bachelor's degree in Information and Documentation and a Master's in Textual Heritage and Digital Humanities, both from the University of Salamanca, along with technical training in guitar performance and sound engineering. He maintains an active research profile as a member of GIR e-Lectra, the Research Group on Electronic Edition and Digital Reading-Writing.

Merchán-Sánchez-Jara's research focuses primarily on digital humanities applications in musicology, particularly the development of hypermedia systems for critical editing of musical texts using the MEI standard. His work bridges music education, digital scholarly editing, and the study of reading practices in digital environments, with significant contributions to systematic literature review methodologies in social sciences and humanities.

His publication record shows consistent output from 2014 through 2023, demonstrating evolving expertise from early work on digital music reading applications to recent projects like the Co-Poem Project for primary music education and the I-Folk database for Iberian folk music. These works reveal a trajectory moving from technical implementation toward broader educational applications and cultural preservation initiatives.

• Outstanding Cum Laude doctoral thesis
• Premio extraordinario USAL (University of Salamanca Extraordinary Prize)
• International Mention recognition

As an academic supervisor, he has directed at least two doctoral theses. His research has taken him to institutions including the University of Florence and Oxford e-Research Centre. His work demonstrates a commitment to integrating traditional music scholarship with cutting-edge digital methodologies, particularly in preserving and making accessible musical heritage through innovative technological solutions.