González D'León, Rafael S.

Assistant Professor

Dr. González D’León obtained his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Miami in 2014. Previously, he received an Electronics Engineering degree from Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB) in Medellín, Colombia and Master degrees in Mathematics from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden, and from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. Before joining Loyola University Chicago in the Fall of 2022, he held postdoctoral positions at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky and York University in Toronto, Canada, and he worked as an assistant professor of Mathematics at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and Universidad Sergio Arboleda in Bogotá, Colombia.

Dr. González D’León’s research revolves around the idea of interpreting enumerative, geometric, topological, or algebraic data through the use of combinatorial constructions and techniques. Some of his research involves algebraic objects (like polynomials, symmetric functions, associative algebras, Hopf algebras, and operads), geometric objects (like polytopes and polyhedra), and combinatorial objects (like graphs, matroids, and partially ordered sets). A good part of his research develops within ongoing international research collaborations which have included many undergraduate and graduate students. His research program is also steering toward interesting interdisciplinary collaborations in areas like Biology, Physics and Computer Science.

Research Interests

Enumerative, geometric, topological and algebraic combinatorics. Algebraic objects supported on combinatorial structures. The mathematics of RNA folding.