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Finally, I’m “40 under 40”. 40 days to my 40th birthday that is, not the Forbes award. I won’t lie that the number weighs on me, 40 years old is a big number. Entering the 20s was all about new worlds to explore. Life looked amazing, infinite, boundless. There wasn’t much thought of who I wanted to be, other than a scientist. That was the plan and that was the path, starting from my little corner of a rural village in northern Spain. Whatever it took. Move to the Canary Island to do Astrophysics? Check. Apply for a PhD I surely won’t get? Check. Pass the last uni exam at the last minute so I can accept the PhD position I somehow got? Check. Move to Germany without speaking a word of German? Check. Travel throughout Europe on a budget? Check. I was extremely opinionated as an atheist scientist, and I had a ton of fun as a graduate student in Gottingen, the perfect city for that decade. I made true friendships across Europe that I still keep today. It was also the decade I realized that my understanding of what science should be didn’t agree with what the world says. I felt research and academia could not be all that science is, I knew I had to steer away to find my path, but I was smart enough to enjoy the ride before jumping off the train: I finished my PhD, and accepted a postdoc as rocket scientist in Washington DC, knowing I would probably not finish it. I was also part of the astronaut selection process and was considering a job at fancy global consulting firm. I happily headed to DC, the world felt full of possibilities and time. I would figure out what Science meant for me. I wrapped my 20s as I decided to jump the academic train, without a plan B, without a visa, into the unknown, ready to adjust and learn. Aptly, I finished my 20s skydiving (twice), which was a crazy and boundless experience I loved. ...

Hay pocas cosas tan inevitables como una idea a la que ha llegado su momento. El 26 de Mayo de 2019 es uno de esos momentos y Europa es el lugar, con las Elecciones Europeas. Las encuestas concuerdan que los europeos, especialmente los españoles, nos sentimos europeos. Pero ese sentimiento europeo, más allá de lo nacional, no tenía vehículo para expresarse democráticamente en un océano de partidos políticos todos nacionales. Decía Jean Monet, que “No habrá paz en Europa si los estados se reconstruyen sobre una base de soberanía nacional”. ...

Publicado en edición impresa el 23 de Noviembre, 2017 y para subscriptores en http://suscriptor.lne.es/opinion/2017/11/23/sacar-maximo-provecho-cambios-vienen/2197988.html La semana pasada se celebró la reunión del Consejo del Futuro Global, en Dubai. Hace unos días escribía en este periódico sobre la importante agenda de este evento: reconocer lo mucho que está cambiando la tecnología y cuánto nos está afectando, entender cómo sacar el máximo beneficio minimizando los riesgos y el modo de hacerlo. Coches autónomos (Tesla), monedas sin Banco Central que se revalúan 1.200 veces (“bitcoin”), curar enfermedades genéticas mortales con una pastilla (pastillas CRISPR)… Parece el futuro de las películas, pero es el futuro de hoy. De hoy, en algunos lugares, en algunos casos, para poca gente con recursos. El tema es ver cómo ser parte de este futuro y no solo verlo volar desde la distancia. ...

How many people need to die before we listen to the facts? 1? 10? 100? Let’s look at the reaction to the appearance of HIV/AIDS in the USA: By 1983 we knew about the spread of the disease through various channels, for example blood transfusions. So, how many people need to die, before we listen to those facts? The answer, 5000. At least 5000 people died in the 3 years that it took to start implementing the scientific recommendations experts had called for. The Science was clear, but experts were just not getting through. ...

Originally published on Aug 26, 2016 on Medium Chances are you either hate Clinton or Trump. You probably can’t understand how can anyone justify supporting “the other side”. Every day you see a new fact or news update that confirms how logical your decision is and how crazy the other side is. Well, you might be right, but you are probably also being played nonetheless. I felt the same, I could not understand how so many people are so blind with so much mounting evidence. But I also had this skeptical tinkering attitude to try this experiment: I went to Facebook and “liked” and clicked every single page or article of opposing view I could find. For me, and to keep it simple, it meant basically lots of pro-Trump. The more opposed I would feel, the better. Thankfully Facebook, on its hunger to know you better, suggests related pages every time you like or click one. Not 10 minutes later my “About” page looked like this… ...

This post was also posted on the World Bank on 01/22/2016 Last year, we spoke at Davos about Big Data. We were excited to explore the challenges and opportunities; especially in regards to the 2030 roadmap for the Global Goals (Sustainable Development Goals). So, a year on, has big data caught on? In 2015 we kick-started the Global Goals, with a special emphasis on data. The main development organizations came together, and the goals and targets were approved. Stakeholders collaborated and shared their experiences. Excitingly, big data remained a central component of these conversations. The data4sdgs.org partnership was announced, of which the World Bank Group is an anchor partner and, we have committed US$ 20M for an innovation fund. This partnership will work to ensure big data analytical approaches are not just being used to increase the efficacy of development programs, but that we are using these approaches to monitor and ensure that programs are effective and truly reach those living in extreme poverty. ...

Cross posted on World Bank’s blog In the past few years there have been a growing array of development projects using satellite images. Some recent examples from our blogs are poverty measurement in Guatemala, overview of the ESA satellites partnership with the Bank, monitoring oil flaring, water resources in India, measuring economic output, measuring agricultural yields, agricultural financial resilience in Ethiopia, Planet labs commit 60 million $ worth of images for development. ...

We are living a fundamental (as opposed to incremental) data revolution which enables an, also fundamental, information revolution. In the classical DIK view of Data, then Information, and then Knowledge; we are still missing the third layer. That isn’t happening, nor do I argue it will, if we don’t have stronger leaders shaping the right direction. Klaus Schwab introducing our panel discussion. Earlier this month I was part of a WEF panel on the current trends of knowledge and technology. The panel had the Forum’s leads on these topics and the amazing Claire Boonstra (e.g. just check her TED talk on value-based education). The plenary had ~500 fellow global leaders from around the world. We had a great discussion, and these are some thoughts collected before, during and after the session (under Chatham House Rules). ...

Cross posted on “Voices”, the World’s Bank blog. Just over five decades ago humans sent the first artificial satellite into space — Sputnik. At the time the World Bank was barely 10 years old and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) was just created. But, space has quickly grown to be a critical asset for our society, and increasingly indispensable for development. For instance, last week IFC announced an investment in a micro satellite company — Planet Labs, and at our event on Big Data for a More Resilient Future this week we displayed one so audience members could understand how small, agile, and mobile these machines have become since the days of Sputnik. Space’s role in society and development is the main narrative of the report that was just released by the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Space. ...

Cross posted on “Voices”, the World’s Bank blog. Last week I was invited to speak at the Annual Conference of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. There were more than 2800 official attendees, convening 1,500 business leaders from more than 100 countries, around 40 heads of state and 300 members of government and international institutions, 14 Nobel Laureates and 800 participants from academia, NGOs and civil society. An overwhelming number of people for a data geek like me, but the potential to maximize stakeholder engagement and forward looking conversations. With more than 300 sessions, it was a perfect landing space to grow and test the network we need for my new role as a data scientist at the World Bank Group’s Innovation Labs. ...