Luis was born in Quito, Ecuador, and fell in love with the Galapagos after traveling to the islands when he was 11. This experience motivated him to move to the Galapagos later in life. At 22, he spent 7 months on Española Island, living in a tent with six other students as he monitored seabirds, including waved albatrosses, blue footed-boobies and swallow-tailed gulls. For his thesis, Luis studied the impact of reproductive success on divorce rates of Nazca boobies. Later, he became a volunteer and research associate at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island. In 2002, he received an MSc in marine environmental protection from the University of North Wales in Bangor, United Kingdom. A Fulbright scholarship in 2009 led him to complete a Ph.D. at Oregon State University, focused on the ecological role of marine iguanas. In 2010, he became a professor at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, teaching international students techniques of marine research, marine ecology and ecosystem-based management.

As a naturalist guide, Luis loves to contemplate nature and show others why the Galapagos is such a special place that should be preserved for future generations. When he isn't exploring other islands, coastal areas and mountains, he enjoys surfing, biking, kayaking and spending time with his fiancé and son, who studies molecular biology.