Mohammed A. Mostajo-Radji (born January 9, 1989) is a Bolivian scientist and diplomat. As the former Bolivian Ambassador for Science, Technology and Innovation, he has been the only Latin American science diplomat at the rank of ambassador.[1][2][3]
Mostajo-Radji keynotes a medical conference in Granada, SpainMostajo-Radji participates in a panel at the Thailand National Science and Technology Fair in Bangkok
In April 2021, Mostajo-Radji announced in his social media that he had accepted a position as an Assistant Research Scientist at the Genomics Institute of the University of California Santa Cruz, where he holds principal investigator status.[15] Shortly after, he announced that he had been elected as a member of the Global Young Academy effective 2021.[16] Currently, Mostajo-Radji leads a research laboratory that is part of the Braingeneers consortium and is also the Director of the Live Cell Biotechnology Discovery Lab.[17]
Diplomatic career
Mostajo-Radji swore in by President Jeanine Áñez as Latin America's first Science, Technology and Innovation Ambassador at the Bolivian Presidential Palace in La Paz
Through a collaboration with the U.S. Department of State, Mostajo-Radji founded the Bolivian chapter of Clubes de Ciencia in 2015. This project aimed to create bridges of science education between the United States and Bolivia.[18] Originally criticized by the Bolivian government, this program rapidly became the most prestigious science education program in Bolivia.[19][20][21] Moreover, it became the largest science diplomacy experiment in Bolivian history.[20]
In February 2020, President Jeanine Áñez appointed him as Extraordinary Ambassador for Science, Technology and Innovation to international organizations and Silicon Valley.[22][23] His primary affiliation was the United Nations, where he was part of the Bolivian Permanent Mission.[24] His role in Bolivian diplomacy became particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, as he led the scientific response team to the pandemic.[25][26][27][28] From this position, Mostajo-Radji assisted the Bolivian Chancellery with securing several donations of medical equipment, diagnostic software, laboratory tests and personal protective equipment from foreign governments and tech companies, including Alibaba and Huawei.[29][30] In addition, he aided Bolivian companies facilitating the international transit and import of raw materials for local production of medications against COVID-19.[28][31] Upon dissolution of the strategic response room in La Paz on April 28, 2020, Mostajo-Radji worked with the United Nations Development Programme to install 13 molecular diagnosis labs across Bolivia.[32] Throughout the month of May, he personally run patient samples in several of these labs.[32][33] Mostajo-Radji chose to work without pay while in Bolivia, and requested to donate his salary to his country's fight against COVID-19 instead.[34][35][36][37] In December 2020, Nature magazine included Mostajo-Radji among the seven science advisors highlighted in its end of the year special on COVID-19.[38] In his invited contribution, he brought attention to some of the major issues he had to overcome, including political attacks and internal fights with members of the cabinet and the armed forces. After his work in Bolivia, Mostajo-Radji returned to the United States, where he worked in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of COVID-19 infection in the brain. He is a coauthor in an article published in the Proceedings of the United States National Academy of Sciences that shows the tropism of SARS-CoV-2 for human cortical astrocytes.[39]
Mostajo-Radji wrote two articles highlighting the special needs of his country during the pandemic: one article brings attention to the need for testing ventilators at high altitude,[40] and another one warning about the risks of HIV transmission in hyperimmune convalescent plasma donations in low- and middle- income countries.[41] Both articles were highlighted in the COVID-19 section of the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) website.[42][43] More recently, he has been the proponent of neurodiplomacy as a new science diplomacy tool that focuses on issues related to brain manipulation, governance and health.[44][45]
Honors and awards
Mostajo-Radji has received several awards, including an honorary doctorate from Jose Ballivian University in Beni, Bolivia. In addition, he has been granted the Franz Tamayo medal, which is the highest honor granted by the Bolivian Senate.[46] In 2015, he was selected as Person of the Year by El Deber newspaper,[47][48] and in 2017 he was selected as "Latino 30 under 30" by El Mundo Boston.[49] In 2019 he received the Latin Maya Award from the Networking for the Arts Foundation in Washington DC for his work in education development in Latin America. Other awards include the "Cruz Potenzada", which is the maximum award granted by the Comite Civico Pro Santa Cruz,[50] as well as the Melchor Pinto award granted by the Government of Santa Cruz, Bolivia.[51][52] In 2023, Mostajo-Radji was selected as a Google Cloud Research Innovator.[53]
Carosso, Giovanni A.; Ferreira, Leonardo M. R.; Mostajo-Radji, Mohammed A. (2019). "Scientists as non-state actors of public diplomacy". Nature Human Behaviour. 3 (11): 1129–1130. doi:10.1038/s41562-019-0716-1. PMID31427786.
Ferreira, Leonardo M. R.; Carosso, Giovanni A.; Montellano Duran, Natalia; Bohorquez-Massud, Soad V.; Vaca-Diez, Gustavo; Rivera-Betancourt, Laura Ines; Rodriguez, Yara; Ordonez, Dalila G.; Alatriste-Gonzalez, Diana K.; Vacaflores, Aldo; Gonzalez Auza, Lilian; Schuetz, Christian; Alvarado-Arnez, Lucia Elena; Alexander-Savino, Carolina V.; Gandarilla, Omar; Mostajo-Radji, Mohammed A. (2019). "Effective participatory science education in a diverse Latin American population". Palgrave Communications. 5. doi:10.1057/s41599-019-0275-0.
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