Fernando Calderón Gutiérrez is an Assistant Professor at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU). He founded the scientific dive program at Texas A&M University – San Antonio (A&M-SA) and is currently serving as the Dive Safety Officer at SFASU and A&M-SA. He earned a Ph.D. in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University at Galveston, and was a postdoctoral fellow in the Biology Department at A&M-SA.
Fernando has been working on the biodiversity and ecology of aquatic groundwater ecosystems since 2011. His research activities have resulted in multiple scientific publications and one book chapter. He has described seven species of cave endemic sponges, characterized ecological patterns of aquatic groundwater cave community assemblages, and demonstrated how meteorological events can have a direct impact to these ecosystems. His current research focuses on the use of molecular tools to better understand ecological processes on underwater caves and to better characterize their biodiversity. His research was considered instrumental in the establishment of the first Mexican National Park to protect an underwater cave (El Aerolito). His work has been featured in the journal Nature, as well as the Netflix documentary Alien Worlds, and popular YouTube channels.