President Rafael Correa met with the Board of Trustees and the new Rector, Carlos Castillo-Chávez, Ph.D.

On Thrusday, December 8, 2016, the President of Ecuador received Carlos Castillo-Chavez, Ph.D.n new rector of Yachay Tech, along with the rest of the academic members of the Board of Trustees, José Andrade, Ph.D., Ares Rosakis, Ph.D. and Hector Rodriguez. Also present was René Ramírez,  Secretary of Higher Education, Science and Technology.

Carlos Catillo-Chavez, of Mexican origin, with an academic career of over 40 years, has held positions in the best academic institutions in the world such as Cornell University in New York, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology > (MIT), and more recently at Arizona State University. As a mathematical epidemiologist, he has focused his scientific career on finding the key mechanisms associated with the spread of diseases, how we can eliminate them and how we can prevent their growth.

His work in epidemiology led him to be awarded by the White House three times and to be named as one of the most important mathematicians in the United States in 2006. Additionally, he was appointed by President Barack Obama as a member of the National Medal Committee of Science in 2010.

Carlos Castillo Chavez has worked in Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador and China, mentored more than 70 students, supervised nearly 400 research projects, authored more than 200 indexed publications and more than a dozen books, and has had a high recognition as a mentor and promoter of minority education.

In his first 100 days at Yachay Tech University, Castillo-Chávez aims to tour Ecuador by meeting the rectors of the different public and private universities to analyze the possibilities of working together in research. Additionally, he will present the 20 year plan created by the institution’s authorities to groups from the productive, political and social sectors to create projects focused on the development of technological solutions or new knowledge.