Dr. Hurtado is an Associate Professor at the School of Engineering and Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC). He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology under Fulbright fellowship, after which he joined UC to create the Computational Biomechanics and Biophysics Laboratory and to co-found the Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering.
His research concerns the creation and development of novel mathematical models and computational methods to understand the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, with the aim of creating computational tools to improve the diagnosis and treatment of disease in the context of precision medicine. To this end, Dr. Hurtado's laboratory focus ranges from fundamental research in mathematical modeling of the heart and lungs to applied research in the development of computational tools for clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Dr. Hurtado has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals and has been the director and principal investigator of numerous research projects funded by Chilean agencies (Fondecyt, Fondef, CORFO, PIA, Iniciativa Milenio), as well as international agencies such as the NIH-Firca and the Ellinger Foundation. In 2018 he was selected as one of the most influential young scientists in the world under 40 years old by the World Economic Forum. That same year he was also elected as a member of the World Council of Biomechanics, becoming the first Chilean to participate in this international society. Since 2019, Dr. Hurtado is an elected member of the "Ciencia de Frontera" program by the Chilean Academy of Sciences. Besides his academic duties, Dr. Hurtado is an active science communicator and has been a keynote speaker in massive science & technology events such as "Congreso Futuro" and Nerd Nites, among others.
