Christopher Scott has deep roots in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH). Born in Lucknow in the Gangetic Plains of India, Scott grew up speaking Hindi; trekking through villages across the Garhwal, Himachal, Jammu–Kashmir and Nepal Himalaya; and working with voluntary organizations in the region. He obtained his master’s degree and PhD from Cornell University, researching the Sukhomajri watershed in the Shivalik Hills of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh and studying water management in the Catskill Mountains in the US, respectively. Subsequently, he has focused extensively on the Andes in South America, in addition to water–energy–food nexus challenges in India and Mexico, among other locations.