Ian Emanuel González Santos, a gifted teenager, is the youngest molecular biologist in the world, after completing his Master’s Degree in Molecular Biology at a Mexican university at just 12 years of age, while competing as a high-performance athlete.
He is an admirer of the Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo, he has two cats as pets, he likes “parkour”, electronic music and pop, in addition to spending his free time in the video game “Grand Theft Auto V”. The 12-year-old boy is restless like any teenager but, at the same time, out of the ordinary.
At 18 months he had the vocabulary of an adult, at 3 years old he learned to read, at 6 he was diagnosed with a high IQ and at 9 he accredited primary, secondary and high school in one go to enter the bachelor’s degree in Biological Pharmaceutical Chemist, at the exact sciences campus of the University of Guadalajara (western Mexico).
“From a very young age I had knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, hematology, molecular biology, I also participated in general chemistry contests, I won first and second place and at that point I said: I need to learn more, I need to go deeper; I accredited all my degrees and began to look for a career that had all these branches involved”, said the young man in an interview with EFE.
Amidst experienced scientists and students twice his age, Ian made his way into a world that increasingly captivated him, so much so that he was able to enroll in a master’s degree midway through in an attempt to quench his thirst for knowledge.
His mother, Sandra Santos, has been his accomplice in opening educational spaces for him and sought the necessary support so that he could pursue his master’s degree at the same time as his bachelor’s degree.
“When I finished my master’s degree, I had such wonderful, incredible knowledge and it complemented perfectly with what they taught me in the subjects of molecular biology and genetics, that is, I had many doubts and delving even more deeply made me something so wonderful, I give it I thank my mom and everything I learned because that way I had more knowledge, more questions and I have learned much more”, she expressed.
He graduated with honors from his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, but he was always interested in doing scientific research. She recently collaborated with an academic from her campus on research to find a way to degrade PET plastic using bacteria.
“I am working hard for this to bear fruit and also to be able to support humanity in something, to have an article published, even if it is as a researcher’s assistant, so to speak, even if it is not a big step,” he declared.
MAKE WAY
His high IQ hasn’t freed Ian from obstacles and hard times. The boy faced bullying from his classmates during the few years that he studied elementary school and teachers who did not respond to his concerns, nor were they able to give him the knowledge that his mind needed.
Faced with a traditional school system in which students are treated equally, the young man left elementary school when he was in fourth grade and dedicated himself to studying with his mother at home to be able to accredit his studies independently. He also took any science course that interested him, which forced his family to leave their native Puerto Vallarta, his mother told EFE.
“Facing all that was exhausting, quite a challenge for me. He suffered, so it didn’t make any sense for him to attend a school that didn’t provide him with any kind of knowledge. It was difficult to make the decision because that meant leaving our life in Puerto Vallarta, leaving everything so that he could be what he is now, a happy child, a full child,” he said.
Along with entering bachelor’s degree, Ian began training in the 80 and 150 meter dash in track and field and represented his state in national competitions. To achieve better performance and avoid injury he had to give up “parkour”, one of his passions. In return he achieved a third place in local competitions.
“Due to the pandemic I had to leave it, about 6 or 8 months ago I returned to athletics in a slightly more professional way and this effort has also paid off. I train 3-4 hours a day and it is extremely heavy and exhausting, but I have had my achievements”, Ian said proudly.
A PROMISING FUTURE
While training, Ian plans to study for a PhD to develop research related to premature cellular aging and disease prevention. Now he is not sure where that next step will take him, although he has received offers from universities in the United States and Spain.
But his dreams are not limited to science and the possibility of doing something for humanity, but he envisions himself representing Mexico in international sports competitions.
“I would like to enter a doctorate. I am looking for the best option and also to be a high performance athlete and even make it to the Olympic Games. I would love it,” she concluded.