Jonatan R. Ruiz

Jonatan R. Ruiz is a Full Professor at the Department of Physical Education and Sports within the Faculty of Sports Sciences at the University of Granada, Spain. He holds dual PhDs in Exercise Physiology (University of Granada) and Medical Sciences (Karolinska Institutet), and serves as Co-director of the PROFITH CTS-977 Research Group, Scientific Director of CIBEROBN's exercise and obesity group, and Director of the Unit of Excellence in Exercise, Nutrition and Health (UCEENS). He is also co-investigator of the M-20 Group at ibs.Granada.

His research focuses on exercise physiology and metabolic health, with eight core areas: 1) Brown adipose tissue and energy metabolism; 2) Exercise/nutrition in ectopic fat accumulation; 3) Multimodal interventions for sleep apnea; 4) Intermittent fasting in obesity; 5) Gut microbiota regulation through exercise; 6) Physical activity assessment methodology; 7) Indirect calorimetry applications; 8) Bioactive compounds in health. His work demonstrates that physical activity improves cardiovascular health from early life stages.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals dominant trends in brown adipose tissue metabolism (6 articles), obesity interventions (5 articles), and methodological innovations in exercise assessment (4 articles). Key recurring themes include sex-specific exercise responses, ectopic fat depots, and microbiome-exercise interactions, with strong emphasis on randomized controlled trials like ACTIBATE and INTERAPNEA.

• Trained over 35 pre-doctoral students securing prestigious fellowships (Marie Curie, Ramón y Cajal, etc.)
• Recipient of 35+ research awards
• Author of 550+ scientific articles
• Principal investigator in major projects including ACTIBATE and INTERAPNEA

Ruiz leads multiple research units including PROFITH CTS-977 and UCEENS, focusing on translational exercise science. His teams conduct large-scale human trials investigating metabolic adaptations to exercise, with strong partnerships across European institutions. Current projects explore time-restricted eating, sleep apnea interventions, and brown adipose tissue modulation through exercise.