Carlos A. Jara holds a degree in Industrial Engineering (2005) from the Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (UMH), awarded with the 5-Star University Prize, and a PhD in Automation and Robotics (2010) from the University of Alicante (UA), with the highest distinction Cum Laude unanimously. His doctoral thesis received the CESEI Award (2011) for the best PhD thesis on technological applications in education. He began his academic career with an FPI fellowship (2006) linked to project DPI2005-06222 at UA, where he has developed his entire career, progressing from Assistant Lecturer (2008) to Associate Professor (2018).

He holds three six-year research periods (2007–2024), the maximum possible, and has authored 37 scientific journal publications (31 JCR-indexed: 15 Q1, 7 Q2, 9 Q3/Q4), with 2,268 citations, an h-index of 23 and i10-index of 40 (Google Scholar). He has been Principal Investigator of 8 projects (1 national, 3 regional, and 4 institutional UA projects), with a total funding of €505,910, and has participated in 12 additional projects (2 international, 3 national, and 7 regional/local). He has contributed to 78 conferences (38 national and 40 international), many organized by IEEE and IFAC, including the PRODEL Award at the XXX Jornadas de Automática. He has conducted research stays at UMH and EPFL (Switzerland), and has been awarded a research stay in 2026 at Bristol Robotics Laboratory (UK).

Since 2014, he has evaluated 18 R&D projects as a technical expert for AENOR, ACERTA, and EQA. He is the author of the utility model U202332030 on a sensorized device for home rehabilitation. He has received two UA:Emprende awards (Impulso 2019 and 2023) for technology transfer developments in exoskeletons.

In teaching, he has accumulated 17 academic years (2008–2025) and more than 3,300 teaching hours, mainly at the master’s level, along with 5 three-year teaching periods and 3 five-year evaluations. He has coordinated 18 courses in undergraduate and master’s programs and supervised more than 70 Bachelor’s and Master’s theses (over 40 in the Master’s in Automation and Robotics). He has served on more than 100 academic committees and received “Very Favorable” evaluations under the DOCENTIA program (2018–2024). He has led 3 teaching innovation projects and participated in 18 more, including one international project.

As a researcher and leader, he has directed the HUman RObotics (HURO) research group in two periods (2017–2021 and 2024–present), founding and consolidating the group towards international projection. The group currently includes 8 full-time faculty members, 4 PhD students, 2 part-time technicians, and 6 affiliated researchers. He has led high-impact projects, notably in gamified robotic rehabilitation for post-stroke patients and intelligent manipulation in the toy industry, in collaboration with AIJU and Ritsumeikan University (Japan).

He has supervised 3 PhD theses and more than 40 Master’s theses. He is Associate Editor of IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters from 2024 and Guest Editor of 4 special issues. He is also involved in organizing international conferences and national events, fostering scientific collaboration.