Professor Fernando Diaz de Leon Sanchez is a Biologist and Master in Chemical Sciences (Biochemistry) who graduated from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). He received the Honorable Mention for his professional examination and the Gabino Barreda Medal for his Master's studies. His Master's thesis was carried out working on aspects of corn seed deterioration. The contributions of this research allowed to deepen the role of carbohydrates in the tolerance to desiccation of this seed. In 2009 he graduated from the Ph.D. in Experimental Biology at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) Iztapalapa Campus, receiving the University Merit Medal for having obtained the best grades in the Ph.D.

His Ph.D. research work entitled "Effect of refrigeration on tomato aroma" contributed to the knowledge of the causes that explain the loss of flavor in tomatoes consumed fresh and provided recommendations to traders to preserve this important quality attribute.

He has 28 years of experience in the field of plant biotechnology, physiology, and biochemistry. He joined the SNI in 2012 as a Level I Researcher, and has held that level for three periods. He has had the PRODEP desirable profile since 2003. From 1991 to date, he has published 47 research articles, 28 of which are indexed in JCR and 3 in SCOPUS, two books, and two book chapters. He has presented papers in 204 congresses, 109 national and 95 international; he has supervised three Ph.D. theses, four Master's theses, and one specialization thesis, and advised nine graduate students and 44 undergraduate students. He was responsible for the postdoctoral student Victor Hugo Oidor Chan whose project was the pharmacological evaluation of tropical fruit peel extracts in different experimental models.

He has taught more than 200 undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as participated in the elaboration of didactic material for the improvement of teaching. In addition, he has held several academic positions and has participated in several evaluation committees at UAM, PRODEP, and CONACyT.

He has collaborated with the UACM, working on studies of biotechnological and pharmacological use of fruits and vegetables. He has collaborated as an advisor in the development of a project with a private company. The study allowed avoiding the importation of a commercial product based on anthocyanins of Chinese origin with a strong economic saving for the company.

He is currently working in the research line called "Post-harvest studies and technological use of cacti, other fruits and vegetables", where he has three graduate students, one of them working on the extraction and stabilization of pigments extracted from cacti (tunillo) and their application in food. Another is developing pharmacological studies of four tropical fruit peels for the control of diabetes and the last one is studying if litchi pulp, when exported, has an anti-hyperglycemic effect, which would be something negative that would affect the export of this fruit.

He is also working on preserving fruit juices that have pharmacological effects for a prolonged period of time and that during this period these effects are preserved.