Carlos Castillo-Chavez By Jeffrey Mervis, Molly StellinoThe numbers tell the story of a master mentor. Carlos Castillo-Chavez, a Mexican-born mathematical biologist, has trained some 50 Ph.D.
students, two-thirds of whom belong to groups historically underrepresented in science. He is especially proud of his “diamonds in the rough”—students from less selective undergraduate programs who have ended up with good jobs in academia, industry, and the public sector.At Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe, where he held the coveted title of regents professor and an endowed chair, Castillo-Chavez presided over a mini-empire of programs designed to increase diversity within the math community.