Jorge Cortés
Areas of expertise
Marine Biology, Coral Reef Ecology, Marine Biodiversity
Degrees
- B.Sc. in Biology, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, San José, Costa Rica
- M.Sc. in Geology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Ph.D. in Marine Biology, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA
Potential student research areas
- Natural and Human impacts on coastal ecosystems
- Diversity of marine organisms
Biography
Jorge Cortés initiated his formal education in 1962 and finished High School in 1973. In 1974 he started studying biology at the Universidad de Costa Rica, where he graduated (B.Sc.) in 1978. The next year he moved to McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, were he obtained a M.Sc. in Geology in 1981. That same year he started teaching at the School of Biology and carrying out research at the Marine Science and Limnology Research Center (Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología) both at the Universidad de Costa Rica. In 1985 he moved with his family to Miami to work on a Ph.D. in Marine Biology which he completed in 1990. Jorge Cortés has been the mentor of 20 graduate students from Costa Rica, Venezuela, México, Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Germany, United States, and Panama. He teaches several courses at the School of Biology, Universidad de Costa Rica, and has been invited to teach courses in other countries. His research interests are in coral reefs (living and fossil), marine biodiversity (mainly invertebrates), and coastal marine ecosystems (mangroves and seagrasses). One of Cortés’ preoccupations has been the advancement of science in a small country like Costa Rica and in Latin America. Another topic of great interest to Jorge Cortés is the transmission (or translation) of scientific inquire to the general public. Finally, he has been invited to serve in many national and international scientific advisory committees on marine topics.