- Assistant Professor
Biography
Dr. Hidalgo received his Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Pontifical Catholic University (Chile) in 2020. He also obtained a Ph.D. in Physiology and Pharmacology from the University of Bristol (UK) in 2020 as part of a dual degree. In 2020, he joined Dr. Joanna Chiu at the University of California, Davis, as a postdoctoral fellow to investigate the role of the circadian clock in seasonal physiology. Dr. Hidalgo is joining WSU in the Summer of 2025. His lab studies the effect of changing seasons on brain structure and function, from molecules to physiology and behavior. To do this, his lab uses the fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as an animal model. His lab aims to understand how these brain changes occur, how environmental signals are integrated to trigger these changes, and how dysregulation of this process contributes to diseases, such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and schizophrenia, among other topics.
Education
- PhD, Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, UK, 2020
- PhD, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Pontifical Catholic University, Chile, 2020
- MSc, Biological Science, Pontifical Catholic University, Chile, 2018
- BSc, Biochemistry, Pontifical Catholic University, Chile, 2016
Research Interest
- Circadian Biology
- Seasonal Physiology
- Sensory integration
- Neuropsychiatric disorders
Publications
Honors and Awards
- Excellence Award, Society for Research on Biological Rhythms Biennial Conference 2024, USA, 2024
- Honorable Mention, Stanford.Berkeley.UCSF Next Generation Faculty Symposium, USA, 2023
- NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence award (K99NS133470; “Integration of seasonal cues to modulate neuronal plasticity”), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), USA, 2023
- Merit Award, Society for Research on Biological Rhythms Biennial Conference 2022, USA, 2022
- Young Neuroscientist Symposium Award, XVII Annual meeting of the Chilean Society for Neuroscience, Chile, 2021
- Pew Latin American Fellowship in Biomedical Sciences, The Pew Charitable Trust, USA, 2021
- International Brain Research Organization Travel Award, International Brain Research Organization (IBRO), France, 2016
- Travel Award, National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), Chile, 2016
- Doctoral Scholarship, National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), Chile, 2016