Professor’s portrait: He’s at the forefront of biometrics research
How can we use eye, face and fingerprint recognition in areas such as mobile security and border control while ensuring that the technology complies with GDPR? Fernando Alonso-Fernandez, newly appointed Professor of Information Technology at Halmstad University, has been researching biometrics for more than two decades. In his new role, he continues to strengthen both research and education in the field.
”Hopefully, my work contributes to advancing methods in areas such as biometrics, computer vision and machine learning, and then other researchers and professionals may use it as building blocks to create applications with societal impact.”
Fernando Alonso-Fernandez, Professor of Information Technology
Fernando Alonso-Fernandez’s primary area of expertise and research lies in biometrics and security. He has made significant contributions to the development of techniques for recognising eyes, fingerprints and other body-based identification traits. He has also worked on improving the reliability of these methods even under challenging conditions, for example when using infrared light instead of normal light, capturing images from a long distance, or working with blurry images.
“I initiated the forensic handwriting and iris recognition research in Madrid and pioneered iris and ocular research at Halmstad University. My research has contributed significantly to the recognition, localisation and segmentation of eyes, and also includes cross-sensor matching, iris super-resolution reconstruction and face tracking”, says Fernando Alonso-Fernandez.
Fernando Alonso-Fernandez is also at the forefront of newer challenges, such as face anonymisation and swapping techniques to comply with GDPR, biometrics for border control and the use of biometrics tied to mobile phone security.
Fernando Alonso-Fernandez, Professor of Information Technology.
Hopes his research can be used as building blocks
Fernando Alonso-Fernandez has been involved in many projects tied to different sectors, such as security, transportation and education in industry and security forces, and tries to align knowledge and research with the real needs of these organisations. When asked about the significance of his research, he replies that he would like to think that such significance exists, although perhaps it is not for him to fully assess it.
“Modesty is probably something that is also important about being a professor”, he says jokingly. “But hopefully, my work contributes to advancing methods in areas such as biometrics, computer vision and machine learning, and then other researchers and professionals may use it as building blocks to create applications with societal impact. I’d also like to think that my work is passed on to students and young researchers that I teach or train, and that they carry the work with them in both industry and academia, multiplying the impact far beyond a single course or project.”
Ended up in research almost by accident
Fernando Alonso-Fernandez ended up in research almost by accident. As a teenager, he wanted to be a military pilot, an aspiration that ended when he got his first pair of glasses. He did not give up though, and after graduating as an engineer in the early 2000s with a thesis about recognising aircrafts from video footage, he tried finding a job in the aerospace field.
“The job market in Spain, where I lived at the time, was very tough at that time, however. But thanks to an enticing ad looking for a PhD student in image analysis for biometrics security, research and I crossed paths. The rest is, as they say, history”, says Fernando Alonso-Fernandez.
In 2008, Fernando Alonso-Fernandez finished his PhD in Telecommunications Engineering at the Technical University of Madrid with a thesis on how the quality of fingerprints, face scans and other biometrics affects secure logins. He did not just spend time in Spain during his doctoral studies, though.
“In my PhD grant, there was a fixed allowance to spend time abroad, and thanks to that, I spent time in France, the UK and Italy. To me, this was life changing – without such international experiences, I probably wouldn’t be in Halmstad today. I would highly recommend researchers, especially junior ones, to look for the opportunity to have that kind of experience at least once.”
After a few years of doing postdoctoral research in Madrid, he obtained funding from the EU and the Swedish Research Council to join Halmstad University under the supervision of Professor Josef Bigun, a renowned biometrics expert.
“These prestigious fellowships allowed me to develop independent lines of research and gain recognition as an expert in biometrics”, says Fernando Alonso-Fernandez.
Not just about lectures or research
Now, almost two decades later, Fernando Alonso-Fernandez has become a professor – and he says that he of course would not have remained in this researcher role for so long if it were only by chance. More than being interested in the subject area, he is interested in research and the university ecosystem as a whole.
“I appreciate the contact with students and young researchers a lot. Their enthusiasm and ‘everything is possible’ attitude is a real kick for me with every new class of students and every new PhD or postdoc. Another key aspect is the intellectual challenge and chance to explore, learn and contribute with new ideas that this role offers. In research you have the opportunity to never stop learning.”
Research is an important aspect of being a professor, but what else does Fernando Alonso-Fernandez value about his new title?
“A somewhat unexpected aspect of becoming a professor is that, suddenly, people turn to you for advice, not just about research, but also about many other aspects that come with seniority and experience. That’s when I stop for a second and think ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve been doing this for more than twenty years!’ To me, being a professor is not just about lecturing or researching but about serving as a mentor. It’s about inspiring and being present for students and colleagues as they navigate their own paths”, concludes Fernando Alonso-Fernandez.
Text: Emma Swahn
Photo: Dan Bergmark and iStock
About Fernando Alonso-Fernandez
Fernando Alonso-Fernandez earned a Master of Science in Telecommunications Engineering from the Technical University of Madrid, Spain, in 2003. After that, he spent a few months as an intern at different companies, before beginning his doctoral studies in 2004.
In 2008, Fernando Alonso-Fernandez obtained his PhD in Telecommunications Engineering from the Technical University of Madrid, with a dissertation titled “Biometric Sample Quality and its Application to Multimodal Authentication Systems”. For his PhD thesis, he was rewarded both “Best PhD Thesis on Information and Communication Technologies applied to Banking”, by the Spanish College of Telecommunication Engineers (COIT) in May 2010, and the “Doctorate Extraordinary Award” by the Technical University of Madrid in February 2011.
After his PhD, Fernando Alonso-Fernandez spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Informatics, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain. In 2010, he obtained two prestigious postdoctoral fellowships, one from the EU (the Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship) and one from the Swedish Research Council, to join Halmstad University. He was the first and only awardee of a Marie Curie fellowship at Halmstad University.
In 2013, Fernando Alonso-Fernandez received a Swedish Research Council grant for junior researchers, leading to a senior lecturer position at Halmstad University in 2017. He became a docent in 2018. Since 2019, he has been a visiting professor at the University of the Balearic Islands, Spain.
In 2025, Fernando Alonso-Fernandez was appointed Professor of Information Technology at Halmstad University, Sweden.
