Luis was born and raised in Durango, Mexico. Although his parents did not have university degrees, they
emphasized the importance of hard work and academic excellence. He obtained his bachelor's degree in
the joint program in mathematics offered by the University of Guanajuato and CIMAT in 2008. His senior
thesis won the Sotero Prieto Award for the best thesis in Mexico.
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Luis obtained a doctoral degree from the University of Michigan in 2013. He was the first person in his
family to obtain a PhD; however, he is no longer the only. One of his cousins received a PhD in chemistry
in 2022. Luis worked as a postdoc at the University of Virginia. In 2016, he returned to CIMAT, where he
is currently a full professor and chair of the Basic Mathematics Department.
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Luis was the first Mexican to win the UMALCA Prize, an award that distinguishes individuals who have
conducted outstanding work in mathematics and who are permanently working in Latin America or the
Caribbean. He is also one of the very few mathematicians to have won the Research Award of the
Mexican Academy of Sciences, which was established in 1961.
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Luis works on commutative algebra and its connections with other fields. He has achieved significant
results regarding the structure of local cohomology, D-modules, singularities in prime characteristic, ideals
arising from graphs, symbolic powers, blowup algebras, and coding theory.
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Luis has proven some unexpected results, which opened new lines of research. First, in collaboration with
others, he developed the theory of Bernstein-Sato polynomials in certain singular varieties, a challenging
area typically explored only in smooth varieties due to the complexities of controlling differential operators
in singular rings. Second, after nearly 50 years since its introduction, Luis, along with a colleague,
demonstrated that the Nash blowup is a meaningful modification in prime characteristic.
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Luis has supervised over thirteen undergraduate, master's, and doctoral theses, with five more currently
in progress. Many of his students have gone on to pursue doctoral studies abroad, including six in the
USA. He believes that the international exchange of scientists, particularly mathematicians, enriches the
entire community.
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Since Luis returned to CIMAT, it has become a center for commutative algebra in Latin
America. He organized three national schools for young students, laying the groundwork for the first Pan
American School in Commutative Algebra in 2022, which will repeat in 2026. Last year, CIMAT won the
bid to host the International Symposium on Symbolic and Algebraic Computation in 2025. Next summer,
CIMAT will host an international Research Experience for Undergraduates in Commutative Algebra,
supported by grants from the NSF and CONAHCYT.

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“Hispanic Heritage Month is a celebration of our community's roots and accomplishments. Particularly, it
is a time to recognize the impactful work of Latin Americans in science. This month allows us to honor the
stories of remarkable individuals, inspiring the next generation of Hispanic mathematicians.”

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