Guido Núñez-Mujica is a data scientist, computational biologist, and science communicator. Previous to joining the Breakthrough Institute, Guido was a data scientist in the tech industry, and in 2008 he co-founded Lava-Amp, a biotechnology start-up that aimed to build a portable, low-cost, handheld PCR device, and apply data science to medical diagnostics and epidemiology. His work has been featured in multiple publications, including in Nature, Wired, IO9, BoingBoing, Biotechniques, and La Stampa. He is also the subject of a chapter in the book Biopunk: DIY Scientists Hack the Software of Life by Marcus Wolhsen. Guido was a technical advisor for the section on new therapy possibilities for the third edition of The Encyclopedia of HIV and AIDS and has published his research about data science and epidemiology in Cell Biology and Translational Medicine.

As a result of his work as a science communicator, educator, entrepreneur, and activist, Guido has been recognized as a TED Fellow and the Cornell Alliance for Science Fellow; he was also awarded a grant from Start-Up Chile, the leading Chilean business accelerator, in 2011. Guido also is the founder and director of Salto, an organization that helps Venezuelans to leave their country and build a new life elsewhere. To this day, Salto has helped more than 150 Venezuelans.

Currently, Guido is producing a documentary called Silenced Crops on the topic of the destruction of Venezuelan biotechnology by activists. Guido founded the first rationalist association in Venezuela in 2001, and has a career of more than 20 years doing science communication and activism in human rights issues, in addition to his more recent work in LGBT rights and visibility. Guido’s latest activism project is doing light projections to Save Diablo Canyon, the last nuclear plant in California. Guido holds a degree in computational and physical sciences, and a Bachelor’s degree in biology from the Universidad de Los Andes, in Venezuela.