Mohammed Mostajo-Radji

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 was the only Latin American science diplomat at the rank of ambassador.
Scientific career.
Mostajo-Radji completed his undergraduate studies at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he majored in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics and obtained a minor in Science, Technology and Society Studies. During his undergraduate times, he researched the genetic components of age-related hearing-loss under the supervision of Dina Newman. In addition he worked closely with Robert Dirksen at the University of Rochester studying autosomal dominant skeletal myopathies and with Nobel prize laureate Roger Tsien at the University of California San Diego synthesizing dual-modality bioimaging probes.
He completed his PhD at Harvard University in Molecular and Cellular Biology under the supervision of Paola Arlotta. His doctoral thesis focused on neuronal and cortical circuit reprogramming. His postdoctoral work, under the supervision of Alex Pollen at the University of California San Francisco focuses on organoid models of brain development and evolution. Throughout his scientific career, Mostajo-Radji has collaborated closely with many renowned neuroscientists, chemists, engineers and computational biologists, including, David Haussler, Adam Cohen, Arnold Kriegstein, Takao Hensch, Arturo Alvarez-Buylla, Mircea Teodorescu, Tomasz Nowakowski and Aparna Bhaduri.
Diplomatic career.
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. Originally criticized by the Bolivian government, this program rapidly became the most prestigious science education program in Bolivia. Moreover, it became the largest science diplomacy experiment in Bolivian history.
In February 2020, President Jeanine Áñez appointed him as Extraordinary Ambassador for Science, Technology and Innovation to international organizations and Silicon Valley. His primary affiliation is the United Nations, where he is part of the Bolivian Permanent Mission. His role in Bolivian diplomacy became particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, as he led the scientific response team to the pandemic. 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. In addition, he aided Bolivian companies facilitating the international transit and import of raw materials for local production of medications against COVID-19. Upon dissolution of the strategic response room in La Paz on April 28th, 2020, Mostajo-Radji worked with the United Nations Development Programme to install 13 molecular diagnosis labs across Bolivia. Throughout the month of May, he personally run patient samples in several of these labs. 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. In June, he returned to his post in the United States to fulfill his diplomatic roles, while continuing to work with the scientific committee online. 
As a scientist and a diplomat, Mostajo-Radji wrote two relevant articles highlighting the special needs of his country during the pandemic: one article brings attention to the need for testing ventilators at high altitude, and another one warning about the risks of HIV transmission in hyperimmune convalescent plasma donations in low- and middle- income countries. Both articles were highlighted in the COVID-19 section of the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) website.
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. In 2015, he was selected as Person of the Year by El Deber newspaper, and in 2017 he was selected as "Latino 30 under 30" by El Mundo Boston. 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, as well as the award granted by the Government of Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
Select Publications.
Science Publications
Science Diplomacy Publications