Willy Valdivia Granda

I work at the intersection of computational biology and real-world problem solving. Most of what I do revolves around understanding complex systems—whether that’s genomic data, agricultural threats, or the way criminal networks evolve—and turning that understanding into something useful.

At Orion Integrated Biosciences, I’ve been involved in developing tools that use genomic information to design precise interventions, from pest control strategies to broader biosurveillance applications. This work has included collaborations with U.S. government agencies such as the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security, where the focus is on anticipating biological risks rather than reacting to them.

I’ve also served as an editor for several scientific journals. That experience has shaped how I think: it forces you to be rigorous, to question assumptions, and to value clarity over complexity for its own sake.

Alongside my scientific work, I write. My columns in El País Cali focus on security, governance, and the changing nature of violence in Latin America. I’m interested in how systems actually function beneath the surface—how incentives, networks, and unintended consequences shape outcomes. I try to explain those dynamics in a way that is grounded in data but still accessible.

At the core, whether I’m working on a scientific problem or writing a column, I approach things the same way: I try to understand how the system works before trying to explain or change it.