What are your first mathematical memories?
I have very good memories from when I was in school, and my math teacher explained how to develop or solve something—I enjoyed listening. She was very good; she knew how to teach. I think that was fundamental because she managed to make me appreciate mathematics from an early age. She liked mathematics, which is why she taught it so well, and that’s also why I later wanted to become a teacher. That was my first choice after finishing school. Teachers like Yolanda Riquelme, whom I mentioned earlier, guided me to follow in her footsteps. She used her hands a lot to explain things, and that inspired and amazed me. That was probably where my love for teaching mathematics began.

What made you specialize in mathematics?
Two reasons: I wanted to be a math teacher—I always found it easy to explain because I enjoyed it. And the second reason is that I enjoyed solving problems with mathematical tools. I felt, and still feel, that I can contribute to many different aspects through mathematics, which is now reflected in the research projects I lead or participate in.

What has mathematics given to your life?
Many satisfactions and achievements. Every time I see a student graduating or earning their degree, it is a great satisfaction for me. Seeing their progress, knowing they feel about mathematics the way I do, and knowing they will become excellent teachers and researchers who can contribute to other fields is deeply rewarding. I love when I meet students who are finishing their degrees or alumni in the street, hearing that they are doing well, or receiving messages because they remembered something I taught them—it is very fulfilling.

But also, the achievements in applied projects that I have led or participated in—the fact of working on small things that give meaning to others—has been very important to me. Seeing the effort of research translated into something that can be transferred to the community is valuable. It is also a moment of happiness when your work is published in a good journal, receiving recognition, and meeting people from all over the world. Networking is very important in a career, especially in my case, since there are not many probabilists in Chile. Even though we work in the same area, our topics are diverse.

What skills do you consider important for developing a mathematical career?
Several, mainly patience and dedication, as well as knowing how to work in a team. It is very important to listen to others because they may see a solution to a problem that you had not considered. As in any field, teamwork is essential. But more important than the skills needed to develop a career, one must have a passion for mathematics. When you do something you love, you can transfer that knowledge more effectively.

Perseverance is also crucial because for many, continuing to specialize requires overcoming various obstacles, especially financial ones, to keep studying. It is a demanding career, like any other—it requires time, dedication, and discipline. However, there are no insurmountable obstacles, and there are many rewarding moments.

Can you tell us about your research topics?
My work is based on probability, stochastic processes, and mathematical models applied to different areas. I develop the theory behind applications, such as in biology, where we have worked with protein models. Another ongoing topic is wildfire risk modeling. In each project, we advance step by step according to the available funding and the research team.

Generally, the research I lead or participate in always involves topics of interest where I believe I can contribute. We work on everything that involves risk, uncertainty, and random phenomena. We can engage with models and develop the theory behind them. From these applications or problems where we see how to apply them, we can develop rigorous theory within the field of probability.

In recent years, I have been working on long-memory models—models that have infinite memory and depend on their entire past. We have been able to analyze these, develop theory, and apply them in certain areas. It is fascinating how applied problems lead us to develop new theoretical mathematics.

But since I never forget that in addition to being a researcher, I am also a teacher, I have been developing a project where I teach school children probability through traditional Chilean games. That way, I preserve our childhood games while also teaching them mathematics.