Rafael S. González D'León is originally from Medellín, Colombia. The first generation in his family to
attend college, he received a degree in Electronics Engineering from Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in
his hometown and worked in the network and information security industries in Colombia before pursuing
graduate work in mathematics.

‍
Rafael obtained his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Miami in Coral Gables. Previously, he
received master's degrees in mathematics from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and from
the University of Miami. He was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Kentucky in Lexington and a
postdoctoral visitor at York University in Toronto, and has worked as an assistant professor at
Universidad Sergio Arboleda and Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. Rafael is currently an
assistant professor at Loyola University Chicago.

‍
Rafael's research revolves around enumerative, geometric, topological, and algebraic combinatorics.
Some of his research involves algebraic objects (such as polynomials, symmetric functions, associative
algebras, and operads), geometric objects (such as polytopes and polyhedra), and combinatorial objects
(such as graphs, matroids, and partially ordered sets). His main contributions have been at the interface
between the theory of algebras and operads and the theory of partially ordered sets, in the enumerative
and geometric combinatorics of flow polytopes of directed graphs, and in the theory of Whitney duality of
graded partially ordered sets. The unifying principle behind his research has been the study of objects
that might appear in other areas of mathematics but are combinatorial in nature. The development and
use of combinatorial techniques on these objects often leads to new insights that were not previously
available in their original context. Much of this research has developed within the framework of
international collaborations and has included the mentoring of several undergraduate and graduate
students, many of them from his native country, Colombia.

‍
Rafael has been an active member of the Comunidad Colombiana de Combinatoria for many years. This
community has positively impacted its area by organizing research meetings, schools, and collaborations
in leading research directions with a focus on building a diverse and supportive scientific community. He
has been part of the organizing, scientific, and steering committees of the "Encuentro Colombiano de
Combinatoria" (ECCO) in 2016, 2018, 2022, and 2024, and of "Días de Combinatoria" (DIAS) in 2017 and
2019. These events have greatly increased access to cutting-edge mathematical knowledge for Latin
American students and researchers, and have fostered strong collaborations between mathematicians
from the region and the rest of the world. The insights and lessons learned from these events have also
been replicated in several other workshops, special sessions and meetings that impact the broader
mathematical community.

‍

“Hispanic Heritage Month is a celebration of the strength and richness we all bring from our countries, our
communities, and our ancestors. The countless contributions of Latinx and Hispanics in all areas of
human knowledge are a testament to the impact a diverse community such as ours can have on our
society. I am particularly grateful to all of those who constantly inspire us with their work and
achievements, and who create spaces where we can contribute with our own work and ideas.”

‍