Ivan Antonio Izquierdo (16 September 1937[1] – 9 February 2021) was an Argentine Brazilian scientist and a pioneer in the study of the neurobiology of learning and memory.

[2] For nearly a decade, Izquierdo taught at National University of Cordoba (UNC), in Argentina, but, due to a number of reasons, both political (the Argentinian dictatorship) and personal (his wife, Ivone, is Brazilian), he moved to Brazil in the beginning of the 1970s, and lived in Porto Alegre since 1978.

[3][4] Ivan Izquierdo made several key contributions to the understanding of the cellular basis of brain processes underlying memory storage and retrieval.

[5][6][7][8][9][10] His research work was focused in the biological mechanisms of memory processes, employing multiple experimental approaches that range from behavioral psychobiology to neurochemistry, pharmacology, neurophysiology and experimental neurology, usually employing intracerebral microinfusions of drugs and assaying its effects upon different brain receptors, cellular processes, and, in particular, behavioral performance in different tasks.

He earned more than 30 important national and international awards, including the highest civilian badge of honor of Brazil, the Order of Rio Branco (2007).