Postdoctoral Fellow

Jaime’s passion for wildlife conservation is deeply rooted in his upbringing on the Galápagos Islands. He focuses on conservation genomics, combining cutting-edge molecular analyses with practical management efforts to address pressing challenges in nature conservation.

Dr. Jaime Ortiz Pachar is currently a Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Wildlife Health Postdoctoral Fellow. His research focuses on using genomics to understand how Galápagos mangroves adapt to and survive environmental stress. His project, “Safeguarding the One Health Value of Galápagos Mangroves," aims to create a genomic basis for sustainable ecosystem management, in collaboration with the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galápagos National Park.

Jaime has a unique background in both genomic data analysis and policy development. As a bioinformatics intern at Illumina, he developed large-scale genomic pipelines. Later, as a doctoral researcher at Cornell University, he assembled the first genome of the endangered brown sea cucumber (Isostichopus fuscus). Prior to earning his PhD, Jaime gained experience connecting science to policy, having served in key leadership positions at the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF). There, he represented the organization before Ecuador’s congress to provide advice on evidence-based reforms to the Galápagos Special Law.