12 Facts About Alejandra Melfo

Alejandra Melfo was born on 26 February 1965 and is a Uruguayan-born Venezuelan physicist.

Alejandra Melfo is known for her efforts studying and conserving glaciers, especially the Humboldt Corona, the last glacier in Venezuela.

Alejandra Melfo studied at the University of the Andes in Merida and received her undergraduate degree in 1989, her master's degree in 1994, and became a faculty member at ULA whilst studying for a PhD in astrophysics at the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy.

At the University of the Andes, Alejandra Melfo has worked in the Department of Physics and as director of the Center for Fundamental Physics.

Alejandra Melfo has contributed to more than twenty scientific publications since the early 1990s.

Alejandra Melfo is the leader of a group of scientists who are dedicated to studying the disappearance of ice forms due to climate change.

Alejandra Melfo has undertaken fieldwork while researching glaciers, fronting an expedition to the Pico Bolivar glacier.

Alejandra Melfo undertook training in climbing for months before traveling to the glacier, which has since melted completely.

Alejandra Melfo officially retired in 2016 but has continued to work through Venezuela's crisis as other academics, including the majority of her Vida Glacial project team, leave.

Alejandra Melfo has called the disappearance of glaciers a reminder of humanity's responsibility to look after the planet and to attempt to slow down climate change.

Alejandra Melfo worked with her cousin, the Uruguayan musician Jorge Drexler, to write the song "Despedir a los glaciares", which is included on the 2017 album Salavidas de hielo and is about the disappearance of the glaciers and the problems that cause it.

Alejandra Melfo wrote a famous 2014 letter to Drexler that was widely published in Uruguay, where she explains her feelings towards the crisis in Venezuela, especially the tupamaros of Merida, and her reasons for participating in the 2014 Venezuelan protests.