Rafael Sebastián is General Director for Science and Research at the Regional Ministry of Education, Culture, Universities and Employment of the Valencian Government, and Full Professor at the Department of Computer Science, University of Valencia. He completed his PhD at the University of Valencia and Yale University, and his postdoctoral training as a Juan de la Cierva Fellow at Universitat Pompeu Fabra.

In 2010, he founded the Computational Multiscale Simulation Lab (CoMMLab), a pioneering group in cardiac modelling, and co-founded the Spanish Network of Excellence of Cardiac Modelling. He has led major funding programmes such as Plan GenT and VALER, attracting top international researchers, and coordinated strategic initiatives like PROMETEO to support research excellence and knowledge transfer.

Currently, Rafael Sebastián leads the design of new science, innovation, and scientific entrepreneurship strategies for the Valencian Region. He represents the Valencian Government in national and European science and innovation policy fora, focusing on talent attraction, research excellence, and deep tech innovation.