After a postdoctoral stay at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, where he undertook the generation of immunoreagents for organochlorine pesticides, post-harvest fungicides and other N-methylcarbamate insecticides other than carbaryl, in 2003 he joined the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA) , which belongs to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) – the largest public R & D institution in Spain. From that moment, and after obtaining a permanent position at CSIC in 2005, he began his own line of research as head of the Food Analytical Immunotechnology group at IATA-CSIC. The aim of this research group is the development of rapid analytical methods based on antibodies for the detection of chemical residues (pesticides, growth regulators, additives, antibiotics), toxins and organic contaminants in food and environmental samples. The mission of the group is to contribute to the implementation of the immunochemical methods as useful analytical tools in the Food Safety field. Official organisms and companies can take advantage of these rapid methods for monitoring xenobiotics and biotoxins in order to improve food quality and safety, and lowering the exposure of consumers to potentially harmful chemicals. Throughout his professional career, Antonio Abad Fuentes has generated antibodies to more than 40 different analytes, including yeasts, viruses, proteins, fungicides, insecticides, growth regulators and biotoxins.

Subsequently, he carried out a two-year postdoctoral stage at the Technical University of Munich through a Marie Curie Personal Research Grant, with the aim of generating recombinant molecular receptors specific of small organic chemicals. Afterwards, he was engaged with private research during several years; first, in Lyon, at the company BioMérieux where he studied innovative analytical strategies applied to the microbiological safety of food, and then, in Barcelona, at the Food Diagnostics division of UCB Pharma where he developed commercial tests for the detection of veterinary drugs in milk. In 2006, he joined the Food Analytical Immunotechnology, at the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC), with an I3P postdoctoral contract, and in 2009, he was awarded a contract within the Ramón y Cajal program in the same research institute. Since 2014, he holds a permanent position as CSIC Senior Scientist in IATA. His studies are focused on practical and basic research topics concerning the generation of high-quality functionalized haptens, conjugates, and bioreceptors of chemical residues and contaminants which are potentially present in food. The final aim of his research projects is the development and validation of novel rapid, economic and user-friendly bioanalytical methods for the determination of chemical xenobiotics (pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, additives, mycotoxins, phycotoxins, phytotoxins, etc.) in foodstuffs.

He subsequently joined the research group of Dr. Marian Carlson at Columbia University in New York (USA) as a postdoctoral researcher, where he focused on proteins involved in the glucose signaling pathway that regulate gene expression in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This experience enabled his incorporation into the Institute of Biomedicine of Valencia (CSIC) as a contracted postdoctoral researcher, where his contribution was essential for the implementation of techniques involving mammalian cell lines.

This period constituted a comprehensive postdoctoral stage, including the training of predoctoral researchers, supervision of a doctoral thesis, and interaction with other research groups at both national and international levels, within the framework of several national and European research projects.

He is currently pursuing his research career at the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology as an OPI Technologist, a position that has allowed him to consolidate his multidisciplinary training across several areas of expertise, including food technology, molecular biology, and biotechnology. His research activity as a member of the Food Immunotechnology research group in the area of food safety has led to the development of biological tools based on monoclonal antibodies for the detection of mycotoxins and other natural or anthropogenic contaminants present in food. In addition, he leads the research line focused on recombinant antibodies applied to food immunodetection.

All of the above is reflected in the supervision of academic works, scientific publications, participation in national and international research projects, and the development of patents.

In 1978 he became Assistant Professor and in 1985 he spent a year as a postdoctoral research associate at the Chemistry Department of the Imperial College of Science and Technology (London) under the supervision of Prof. S. V. Ley. In 1986 he received his habilitation as Senior Lecturer and returned to the Department of Organic Chemistry of Valencia University of which he was appointed Director between 1995 and 1998. In 2010 he was appointed Full Professor at the same University where he is currently developing his research, basically focused on the Organic Synthesis of Bioactive Natural Products and Development of Immunoassays for Xenobiotics and Biotoxins. He is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and the Royal Spanish Chemical Society (RSEQ).

His work focuses on developing tailored molecular structures that enable the sensitive and specific detection of low-molecular-weight contaminants relevant to food safety and environmental monitoring. He has participated in multidisciplinary projects involving the development of immunoassays for mycotoxins, cyanotoxins and other bioactive compounds, in close collaboration with researchers at IATA-CSIC.

More broadly, his synthetic research has included the preparation of bioactive natural products and natural-product-inspired compounds. His current work also focuses on the synthesis and application of insect sex pheromones for environmentally sustainable pest management.

After a period as Senior Technician at the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA–CSIC), he began his postdoctoral career through a “Margarita Salas” fellowship. Within this framework, he carried out a two-year research stay at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung, BAM) in Berlin, after which he returned for one year to the Department of Organic Chemistry at the University of Valencia. In 2025, he joined this department on a permanent basis as an Assistant Professor.

His research activity focuses on the synthesis of bioactive natural products—particularly derivatives of mycotoxins, xenobiotics, and insect sex pheromones—as well as on the generation and characterization of antibodies aimed at the development of immunoassays.