I lead Data and AI at idealista, Southern Europe’s largest real estate marketplace. My team has shipped more than 90 AI projects across automated valuation, search ranking, fraud detection, and content moderation. My work sits at the intersection of applied machine learning, spatial data science, and the messy reality of making AI useful inside a product organization.
Before idealista, I worked as a data science consultant at BBVA Next Technologies, building recommender systems and loyalty models for products reaching seven million customers. Before moving into industry, I earned a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Oviedo and published seven peer-reviewed papers.
I have given more than 20 talks at venues including Banco de España, CARTO Conference, and Instituto Tramontana. I also teach AI and data science at IE University and The Valley.
I believe AI succeeds when it amplifies domain expertise rather than replacing it. Too many data science teams chase technical sophistication instead of business impact; that conviction shapes how I build teams, choose projects, and teach.
When I’m not thinking about models and organizations, I shoot analog photography and read about creative processes and philosophy.
Career timeline
timeline section Academia 2007 : Researcher 2010 : Ph.D. thesis 2013 : Postdoctoral researcher section Private sector 2015 : First solo data scientist at Weplan 2016 : Data science consultant at BBVA Next 2018 : Lead data scientist at idealista/data 2020 : Head of Data Science & AI at idealista
Teaching & Speaking
- Adjunct Faculty, IE School of Science and Technology (Master in Business Analytics & Data Science)
- Professor, The Valley Digital Business School (AI and applied ML)
- External instructor, Instituto Tramontana (Product Management program)
- Public speaking: 20+ talks and podcast appearances
Selected Publications
- Rey-Blanco, D., Arbués, P., López, F. A., & Páez, A. (2024). Machine learning for spatial market segmentation. Environment and Planning B, 51(1), 89-108.
- Kenyon, G.E., Arribas-Bel, D., Robinson, C., et al. (2024). Intra-urban house prices in Madrid. npj Urban Sustainability, 4(1), 26.
- Full publication list
Let’s Connect
I write about management, data science, and AI on my blog. To see what I’m working on right now, check now page. If you’d like to talk, grab a slot during office hours.