Education
2017-2022 PhD in Computer Science, Leipzig University & Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences.
2009-2013 Bachelor of Sciences in Mathematics, Pamplona University
2005-2010 Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Pamplona University
Awards and other marks of recognition
2023 Appointed computer scientist in residence at the Department of Chemical
Engineering, University of Florida
2022 Graduated summa cum laude
2022 Selected participant of the 71st Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting (dedicated to Chemistry) – from 26 June to 1 July 2022
2022 Selected participant of the American Mathematical Society’s Mathematics Re-
search Communities 2022
2021 Nominated by the Max Planck Society for participation in the 71st Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting (dedicated to Chemistry).
2021 Selected by the Max Planck Institute MiS to give a lecture for the evaluation
of the institute at the 2021’s MPG Scientific Advisory Board Meeting
2020 Selected to attend the Applied Category Theory Adjoint School 2020 at MIT, Boston, USA (16 students/researchers selected from 144 applicants)
2019 (April) cover of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society A — Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
2018 (Dec) Visiting Scientist, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia
2018- Guest Scientist, Max Planck Institute for the Mathematics in the Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
2017 PhD grant, Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
2017 Guest Scientist, Max Planck Institute for the Mathematics in the Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
2017 Guest Scientist, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
2016 Guest Scientist, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
2016 Featured Article, Journal of Cheminformatics
2013 Excellence Thesis, Mathematics Department, University of Pamplona, Pamplona, Colombia
2010 Laureate Thesis, Chemistry Department, University of Pamplona, Pamplona, Colombia
Research Experience in Groups and Institutes
2024 June- Guest Scientist
Medellin University
Medellin, Colombia
2023- Postdoc Associate
Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering
University of Florida
Gainesville FL, USA
2018- Guest Scientist
Max Planck Institute for the Mathematics in the Sciences
Leipzig, Germany
2017 (Feb-Apr) Guest Scientist
Max Planck Institute for the Mathematics in the Sciences
Leipzig, Germany
2016 (Aug-Oct) Guest Scientist
Bioinformatics Group
Leipzig University
Leipzig, Germany
2010- Researcher
Laboratorio de química teórica
Pamplona University
Pamplona, Colombia
2012-2013 Researcher
Biomathematics Group
Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia – FIDIC
Bogota, Colombia
2012 Editorial Staff
Interdisciplinary research institute
Pamplona University
Bogota, Colombia
2005-2006 Researcher
Grupo de Investigación en Transporte Molecular – GITRAM
Pamplona University
Pamplona, Colombia
Refereeing and external examining
2023 Reviewer for Computational Biology and Chemistry
2023 Reviewer for Logics in Computer Science (LICS 2023)
2021 Reviewer for Theory in Biosciences
2021 Reviewer for Ingeniería y Ciencia
2014 Reviewer of a chapter of Advances in Mathematical Chemistry Vol. 2, Elsevier.
2014 Reviewer of a BSc Thesis in Mathematics
For: Mathematics Department, Pamplona University
2013 Reviewer of a BSc Thesis in Mathematics
For: Mathematics Department, Pamplona University
Professional Affiliations
2020- Student member of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM)
2019- Member of the Colombian Association for the Advancement of Science (ACAC)
2019- Member of the Colombian Mathematical Society (SCM)
2018- Member of the Complex Systems Society (CSS)
2013-2014 Member of the Association for Symbolic Logic (ASL)
Outreach activities
2023 Panelist for the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) virtual seminar:
Herramientas y testimonios para investigar en Alemania a nivel doctoral
2022 Panelist for the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) virtual seminar: Testimonios de becarios de Doctorado
2022 Invited to present my research Chemical Space Exploration at the Science
Market organized by the Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians
(GDNÄ)
Media coverage (selected)
2022 By Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences
A press release about my participation in the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings:
Wilmer Leal meets Nobel laureates
2022 By Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences
A press release about my thesis defense: Congratulations to Wilmer Leal!
His exploration of the chemical space has earned him the highest honor than
can be achieved for a Ph.D. thesis – summa cum laude
2019 By Chemical & Engineering News (American Chemical Society)
The following article features one of our papers:
Chemists discovered new compounds at an exponential rate over the past
two centuries, by Sam Lemonick (C&EN associate editor)
2019 By Springer Professional
The following article features one of our papers:
Die verborgene Struktur des Periodensystems [The hidden structure of the
periodic table ], by Dieter Beste.
2019 By Der Standard
The following article features one of our papers:
Neue chemische Substanzen werden mit überraschender Regelmäßigkeit
entdeckt [New chemical substances are discovered with surprising regulaity]
2019 By Max Planck Society
The following article features one of our papers:
The hidden structure of the periodic system
2019 By Chemistry World
The following article features one of our papers:
Hopes raised of a ‘super-table’ to end periodic table disputes, by Philip Ball
(Former editor of Nature).
Organized events
2024 Colombian Congress of Applied and Industrial Mathematics (MAPI III)
Organizer of the special session and mini-course on Applied Category Theory
2010 Pamplona University: 50th anniversary celebration with Mathematical Chemistry
Co-organizer
Pamplona University, Colombia
2010 Introducción a la Filosofía de la Química
Co-organizer
Pamplona University, Colombia
Schools and Courses
2021
School
Mathematics Research Communities (MRC)
American Mathematical Society
New York, USA
Mentor: John Baez
2020
School (Feb-Jul)
Applied Category Theory Adjoint School 2020
MIT, Boston, USA.
Mentor: Valeria de Paiva
2019
Course (summer term)
Schemes and Sheaves – An introduction to modern algebraic geometry
Lecturer: Professor Dr. Juergen Jost
Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
Course (summer term)
Category theory and applications
Lecturer: Dr. Paolo Perrone
Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
Course (summer term)
Information and Complexity
Lecturer: Professor Dr. Juergen Jost
Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
Summer School
First School on Reaction Systems
Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland
2018
Course (summer term)
Geometric and topological methods of data analysis
Lecturer: Professor Dr. Juergen Jost
Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
Summer School
Network Science in the Humanities
Max Planck Institutes for Mathematics in the Sciences & for the History of Science. Leipzig, Germany
Spring School
4th Spring School Complex Networks: Theory, Methods, and Applications
Lake Como School of Advanced Studies, Como, Italy.