Ernesto Fernandez Polcuch is a Science Diplomat, specialist in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy, with a M.Sc. in Science, Technology and Society from the National University of Quilmes, Argentina.

As Chief of Section for Science Policy and Partnerships in the Natural Sciences Sector of UNESCO, he has managed global UNESCO programmes in STI Policy, Science Communication, Gender and STEM, Science Diplomacy, and Science-Policy-Society linkages, including the UNESCO Global Observatory of STI Policy Instruments GO-SPIN, the UNESCO Science Report, the L’Oréal UNESCO For Women in Science Programme, and the STEM and Gender Advancement (SAGA) Project.

He has previously posted at the UNESCO Regional Office for Science in Latin America and the Caribbean, in Montevideo, and the UNESCO Windhoek Cluster Office. He also led the Science and Technology Statistics team at the UNESCO Institute for Statistics in Montreal.

Before joining UNESCO, he worked as a researcher, professor, government adviser and consultant in Argentina and the Latin America and Caribbean region.