Alfonso Fernandez is a broadly-trained physical geographer based at the Universidad de Concepción in Chile, who studies hydroclimatic changes, mountain environments and glaciers, with a strong focus on the atmosphere-cryosphere-hydrosphere nexus. His current research involves quantifying glacier-mass balance in the Chilean Andes, studying changes in glacier sensitivity to climate change, and analysing the transformations occurring in mountain waterscapes. The aim of his work is to understand how these interactions affect mountain environments, and the application of this hydroclimatic knowledge to improve policy and decision making. His research tools encompass numerical modelling, analysis of instrumental hydroclimatic observations, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), water geochemistry and paleoclimatic proxies. He considers himself an “unconfined” geoscientist as he is open to exploring new avenues of research.