Jaime Jahncke
Jaime Jahncke
Dr. Jaime Jahncke was born and raised in Lima, Peru, and he has had a strong connection with the environment from a young age. Dr. Jahncke studied at both Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, where he studied Biology and Seabird Ecology, and University of California – Irvine, where he studied Biological and Marine Sciences Dr. Jahncke is the current Director of Point Blue Conservation Science, an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biology at San Francisco State University, and a researcher in the Estuary and Ocean Science Center.
Nur, N., Jahncke, J., Herzog, M. P., Howar, J., Hyrenbach, K. D., … & Stralberg, D. 2011. Where the wild things are: predicting hotspots of seabird aggregations in the California Current System. Ecological Applications, 21(6), 2241-2257.
Jahncke, J., Checkley Jr, D. M., & Hunt Jr, G. L. 2004. Trends in carbon flux to seabirds in the Peruvian upwelling system: effects of wind and fisheries on population regulation. Fisheries oceanography, 13(3), 208-223.
Rockwood, R. C., Calambokidis, J., & Jahncke, J. 2017. High mortality of blue, humpback and fin whales from modeling of vessel collisions on the US West Coast suggests population impacts and insufficient protection. PLoS One, 12(8), e0183052.
Piatt, J. F., Parrish, J. K., Renner, H. M., Schoen, S. K., Jones, T. T., … & Sydeman, W. J. 2020. Extreme mortality and reproductive failure of common murres resulting from the northeast Pacific marine heatwave of 2014-2016. PloS one, 15(1), e0226087.
Sydeman, W. J., Bradley, R. W., Warzybok, P., Abraham, C. L., Jahncke, J., … & Ohman, M. D. 2006. Planktivorous auklet Ptychoramphus aleuticus responses to ocean climate, 2005: Unusual atmospheric blocking? Geophysical Research Letters, 33(22).
Dr. Jaime Jahncke was born and raised in Lima, Peru. He had a strong connection to nature and the environment while growing up. Dr. Jahncke spent lots of time outdoors or camping near the ocean. Dr. Jahncke completed high school at CEP San Jose de Moterico in Santiago de Surco in Lima. Dr. Jahncke attended Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina. He wrote his thesis, “Distribution, status, and reproductive biology of the Markham Storm-petrel in the Paracas National Reserve, Peru.” He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Seabird Ecology in 1993. In 1999, Dr. Jahncke moved to the United States for graduate school. He earned his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences and Marine Sciences from the University of California – Irvine in 2004. Dr. Jahncke’s dissertation was entitled “The influence of coastal water physical processes on the abundance and distribution of seabirds.”
Between his undergraduate and graduate career, Dr. Jahncke held two positions. While still in college, Dr. Jahncke began working as a Research Associate at the Asociación Peruana para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (Apeco). In 1994, he became a Lead Research Biologist in Marine Bird Studies at the Instituto del Mar del Perú. In both positions, Dr. Jahncke worked at the nexus of environmental science, marine biology, oceanography, and ornithology. While attending the University of California–Irvine, Dr. Jahncke was a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, working on several National Science Foundation-funded research projects.
Since 2004, Dr. Jahncke has worked at Blue Point Conservation Science. First, he was a part-time consultant before becoming a full-time Senior Scientist in the Marine Ecology Division. In 2008, Dr. Hahncke was named Director of the California Current Group. In this position, Dr. Jahncke has initiated the Whale Alert West Coast Program, founded the Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies Program, managed the strategic growth of the California Current Group, and strengthened general citizen science efforts and collaborative science relationships.
Since 2022, Dr. Jahncke has also worked at San Francisco State University as an Adjunct Professor. Dr. Jahncke contributes to the Estuary & Ocean Science Center, the Biology Department, and the Geography Department.
One of Dr. Jahncke’s career highlights has been developing and implementing the “Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies (ACCESS). ACCESS is an ongoing collaboration between Point Blue Conservation Science and the Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries, aiming to conduct ocean research to assess the health of the sanctuaries and guide management actions” (2024). The project ultimately contributes to “the protection of whales by reducing ship strikes within National Marine Sanctuaries. The ACCESS data was utilized to evaluate management actions, provide recommendations, and establish new targets for the protection of endangered whales” (2024).
When discussing his mentors, Dr. Jahncke states, “Manuel Rios and Pedro Vasquez were two professors who served as important mentors during my studies at the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina. On my first day as a freshman, I visited Manuel Rios and asked for a job. He hired me to help organize a ‘management and conservation’ library in his department” (2024). In this position, Dr. Jahncke gave him opportunities for networking and gaining field experience that he would not have otherwise.
Since Dr. Jahncke has worked at Point Blue, he has welcomed 50+ students to help support their research. Dr. Jahncke states, “This opportunity is beneficial for me, my staff, and the students alike. We gain from the energy, enthusiasm, and new ideas the students bring while they acquire valuable field experience, learn alongside our experienced staff, benefit from our long-term data series, and produce a well-rounded thesis and manuscript from the experience” (2024).
Dr. Jahncke suggests that for young professionals to explore their interests, they should “Consider joining a lab at school, volunteering for an NGO, or gaining real-life experiences in your chosen field as early as possible in your career. This will help you identify what you enjoy the most and enable you to select coursework that aligns with your preferences” (2024).
Jaime Jahncke. (2024). Linkedin.com. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimejahncke/
Survey and interviews conducted by Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative staff. 2022-2024. Yale University-School of the Environment. New Haven, Connecticut.
Survey and interviews conducted by Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative staff, 2023