Dr Frank Hirth is Reader of Evolutionary Neuroscience and Principal Investigator at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London. He directs the Neural Circuits and Behaviour Laboratory at the Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute where his current research follows two strands investigating the evolution and dissolution of the brain.

A core research interest investigates available evidence of brain evolution, focussing on the fossil record and the conservation of gene regulatory elements in different species across the animal kingdom. Dr Hirth has made landmark contributions towards our understanding of the origin of the brain and the mechanisms underlying its development and evolution (e.g. doi:10.1126/science.abn6264; doi:10.1126/sciadv.ade8259; doi:10.1073/pnas.1918797117).

The other strand of Dr Hirth’s research investigates neural circuits in the brain and their degenerative dysfunction. His team and collaborators currently focus on neurodegenerative diseases in which ‘normal’ proteins like TDP43 or alpha-synuclein turn rogue by misfolding and accumulation, ultimately causing the progressive loss of nerve cells that is commonly observed in Dementias, Parkinson’s and motor neurone disease (e.g. doi:10.1038/s41583-021-00431-1; doi:10.1093/brain/awab201 ; doi:10.3389/fnins.2018.00080).

Dr Hirth holds a PhD and a venia docendi (Habilitation) from the University of Basel in Switzerland. He trained in Neurosciences and Genetics at the universities of Freiburg/Germany, Basel/Switzerland and the MRC National Institute for Medical Research in London. He is a fellow of the Linnean Society (FLS).

Teaching

Dr Hirth created, designed and organises the Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration module for third year BSc Neuroscience, Biochemistry and intercalated MBBS students (and others interested). He supervises several MSc and BSc dissertations and projects each year.

In the past, Dr Hirth supervised over 200 undergraduate and postgraduate students, all of whom successfully ventured into many areas of industry, higher management and education, as well as academic research.