Rodrigo Mancilla was born in Coyhaique city, in southern Chile in 1989. In 2007, Rodrigo started his bachelor degree in Physical Education at the Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco. In 2011, he began his first master in physical activity and health at Universidad de la Frontera, under the supervision of Dr. Erik Diaz. Studying at the center for investigating human metabolism and health, Rodrigo published his thesis about the effects of high-intensity interval training on glycaemic control in pre-type 2 diabetic subjects. In 2014, Rodrigo received a national award from the Chilean commission of investigation, sciences and technology (CONICYT) to pursue a second master degree at Maastricht University, specifically the human movement sciences master program. During his internship, Rodrigo worked under the supervision of Prof. Matthijs Hesselink and Dr. Vera Schrauwen-Hinderling, studying the in-vivo diurnal metabolic variations of human liver tissue.
In 2016, Rodrigo received a second award from the Chilean commission of investigation, sciences and technology (CONICYT) to pursue his PhD at the department of human movement science-human biology under the supervision of Prof. Matthijs Hesselink and Dr. Vera Schrauwen-Hinderling. During his PhD, Rodrigo investigated the effects regular exercise training in muscle tissue remodeling in relation to insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial function in insulin resistant subjects, taking into account a cellular, multiple tissue, and whole-body approach. Rodrigo also applied non-invasive methods by using MRS techniques to investigate liver fat metabolism and skeletal muscle mitochondrial function in obese, metabolically compromised humans.
After his PhD, Rodrigo’s research project was founded by the European Foundation for the Studies of Diabetes (EFSD) to continue his scientific career as postdoctoral researcher at Maastricht University. During his Postdoctoral project, Rodrigo investigates the effects of exercise training combined with nicotinamide riboside supplementation in older individuals as well as the effects of exercise timing on human metabolic health.