With deep sorrow, we express our sincere condolences on the passing of our dear friend and colleague Vladimiro Mujica at the age of 71. A quantum chemist, researcher, and one of the leading figures of Venezuelan science at a global level, Vladimiro dedicated his life to the study of quantum chemistry, nanoscience, and physics applied to biological systems.

His academic work left a lasting impact in the scientific community, shaping generations of young scientists. For instance, Vladimiro's research, together with Mark Ratner in the early 1990s, provided the theoretical tools for the description of electronic transport in molecular electronics, which have been used since then by numerous theoreticians entering the field. Most of his work in the past years was devoted to understanding the atomistic basis of the magnetic properties of chiral molecules, a rapidly developing field where he also left a deep imprint with very original contributions. But beyond his scientific work, he was also a critical voice, fully committed to democracy and the open exchange of ideas.

Vladimiro spent several months at our chair in various occasions, first as a Senior Dresden Fellow (in 2017 and 2018) within DRESDEN-concept, then as a Mercator Fellow (2022-2023) in the frame of a proposal of the German Research Foundation devoted to the study of spin selectivity in chiral molecules. He was a truly inspiring figure for PhD students at our chair and out of intensive discussions with him, several scientific publications emerged.

His departure leaves a void not only in the scientific community, but also in all of us who had the chance to know him. Our most sincere condolences to his wife and his son, his family, colleagues and students.