Dr. Aguirre is a civil engineer, geographer, and mountain climber who is passionate about science in Patagonia, focusing on the interactions between the atmosphere and cryosphere geosystems and their impacts on environments and communities. Much of his research examines questions of glaciology and hydroclimatology in a variety of environmental contexts. He also likes to review and validate new methods and their implementation to evaluate hydroclimatic variability and impacts on atmosphere-cryosphere interactions. Dr. Aguirre grew up in Central Chile, between the high Andes and agricultural fields, and his professional experience includes private companies, government agencies and research groups. He has worked in Patagonia in collaboration with different interdisciplinary researchers and government institutions, examining the cryosphere and climate change.

Prior to joining SFS, Dr. Aguirre implemented a Long-Term Ecologic Network measuring greenhouse gases (GHG) as a member of the Cape Horn International Centre (CHIC) of the Universidad de Magallanes (UMAG). These stations evaluate ongoing changes in the region’s hydroclimatic systems as well as Patagonian environmental responses. Dr. Aguirre also is part of the Centro de Investigación Gaia Antártica (CIGA) of UMAG, working as postdoctoral researcher in the project “Development of a prototype alert system to reduce the impact of glacier-related flood events (SAGAZ)”.

Dr. Aguirre received his doctorate from the Universidad de Magallanes, where he studied in an interdisciplinary program in Antarctic and Subantarctic Science, in which he focused on glaciology and climatology, and their interactions with terrestrial ecosystems in southern Patagonia. One goal of his studies was to give tools and answers to regional decision-makers about future climate change scenarios, and he continues with institutional collaborations, such as with the Dirección General de Aguas (DGA) and the Antarctic Chilean Institute (INACH).