Posted Friday 13 July 2012

Professor Rafael Sanchez-Lamoneda was born on April 13th 1955. He graduated from the Instituto Pedagógico de Caracas, Venezuela, in 1977. His master degree in Mathematics comes from the Universidad Simón Bolívar, Caracas, Venezuela (1979) and his Ph.D. degree from Brandeis University, USA (1986). Since then he has been working for the Central University of Venezuela. He served also as:

• Chairman of the mathematics department, Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research, IVIC (from August 1992 to September 1995).
• Chairman of graduate studies, Department of Mathematics, IVIC (from 1995 to 1997).
• Vice-chairman of Graduate Studies in Mathematics, School of Mathematics, Faculty of Sciences, Central University of Venezuela. (2004).

Professor Rafael Sanchez has an impressive record of participation in the organization and conduct of Mathematics Competitions in the last 30 years (both national and international). He has been a deputy team-leader (1981, 1982) and team leader (1989, 1998 - 2010) of the Venezuelan Team for IMO.

He founded the Venezuelan Association for Mathematical Competitions in year 2000 and the Kangaroo Contest in Venezuela (in 2002) with an amazingly big number of participants since the beginning. He is a chairman of the Organizing Commission to the Venezuelan Young Mathematical Olympiads since 2004 and member of the Organizing Commission to the Venezuelan Recreational Mathematical Olympiads (since 2002).

He has chaired the Selecting and Training Committee for the Venezuelan Team to the Iberoamerican Mathematical Olympiads for more than 20 years. Several times he has been either Vice-President or President of the Mathematical Olympiad for Central America and the Caribbean and of the Iberoamerican Mathematical Olympiads.

As an expert of the Iberoamerican States Organization he has given technical support in the organization of mathematics competitions to several countries of the area such as El Salvador, Panamá and Paraguay.