Hilda Castillo

Hilda Elena Castillo Mayorga is a Panamanian biotechnologist and postdoctoral researcher at INDICASAT AIP. She completed her doctoral training in Biosciences and Biotechnology at Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá and holds a Master’s degree in Crop Sciences with specialization in Plant Breeding from the University of Hohenheim in Germany. She also earned a Master’s degree in Higher Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology in Panama.

Her research focuses on plant genetics and plant–microbe interactions, particularly in Theobroma cacao. She integrates population genomics, microbiome analysis, ecological modeling, and field experimentation to understand how host genetics and associated fungal communities influence disease resistance and climate resilience in tropical crops. Her work contributes to sustainable breeding strategies and the conservation of cacao genetic resources in the Neotropics.

She gained extensive applied research experience at the Instituto de Investigación Agropecuaria de Panamá (IDIAP), where she led molecular laboratory activities and managed next-generation sequencing workflows in support of national agricultural research programs. She contributed to genomic analyses aimed at crop improvement and strengthening institutional capacity in agricultural biotechnology. This experience reinforced her commitment to advancing scientific innovation for plant health and sustainable production systems.

She has also collaborated with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, expanding her experience in molecular genetics and sequencing technologies. Her work has been published in international peer-reviewed journals, and she continues to apply genomics and biotechnology to support resilient and sustainable tropical agriculture.