He graduated with a degree in Medicine from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in 1986 and was trained as a resident in Medical Oncology at Hospital 12 de Octubre (1988-2001). In 1993, he completed a PhD in Medicine at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. He was a postdoctoral ESMO Research Fellow in Medical Oncology at the Beatson Oncology Centre, University of Glasgow, (1993– 1995), and completed a Masters degree in Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Glasgow in 1995.

Before the current position, he was Chair of the Medical Oncology Department at the Virgen del Rocío University Hospital in Seville (2007-2014), Head of the Pharmacology Unit and responsible for Early Clinical Studies of Thoracic and Genitourinary Tumours at the University Hospital “12 de Octubre” in Madrid (1995–1999; 2000–2007), and Visiting Research Fellow in the Prostate Cancer Programme at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA, USA (1999–2000).

Luis Paz-Ares’ research focuses on lung cancer and new therapeutic strategies development, both at the lab and clinical sides, and has published more than 340 articles in peer review journals, including New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Lancet Oncology, Nature Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology and many others. He has served as a member of several committees, including ASCO and ESMO meeting Scientific Committees, European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Protocol Review Committee and Audit Committee, the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices and the European Medicines Agency. He is the Chief Medical Officer of the AECC where he also seats at the Board.