About

About me

Hi! My name is Daniel Mateos San Martín. I am a strong believer in living many lives in a single lifetime. I think I might be in my 4th or 5th right now, but I'm not sure how to count them 😂.

Some of my previous lives

In one of them, I was a molecular biologist doing research in Developmental Biology. I was very interested in shape and form, and worked on how the shape of living beings is encoded in their DNA, particularly in the mess that are the cis-regulatory regions of Hox transcription factors and their cofactors.

In the one after that, I was a Data Scientist Consultant and Lecturer. I enjoyed mastering programming, statistics, Machine Learning, and teaching them to aspiring data scientist. It was fun to code for a living and experience what a large corporation is from the inside. I also made some great and very stimulating friends.

I've also taught in a few universities along the way.

How I arrived here

Lately I've been enjoying creating projects that cross the digital/physical divide. I participated in LAB#02 at Medialab Matadero and I set up a small online business printing custom landscapes.

I remember reading about 3D printing back when I was doing my thesis and having my head blown off. I thought I was magic, and I wanted to do it, but I didn't know where even to begin.

Little by little, I taught myself some capabilities: I learned to design in 3D, I started doing some basic woodwork, I did (a super simple) bit of electronics and Arduino work, I finally managed to get access to 3D printers, and in the last couple of years I learned to braze and weld. I wasn't fully aware, but I was recreating a big part of the Fab Academy curriculum on my own. Obviously, it was sloooooow.

Then I learned that I could actually enroll in a program just like "How to make almost anything"! And in a city like Barcelona! I couldn't pass up the opportunity. So here I am, learning a lot and having as much fun as I can with making things.

My making ethos

I am an environmentalist and passionate about the capabilities that technology puts in our hands. In particular, I am very interested in the intersection between the ancient and physical (in the form of craftsmanship: metalworking, woodworking, gardening/agriculture) and the modern and digital: 3D printing, generative design, software. From this space, a new modernity can emerge: connected to the earth, based on a scientific humanism, and capable of combining prosperity, justice, and sustainability.

More photos

You can check out my project dossier (pdf link) to get a deeper idea of the things I've done lately.