Assistant Professor (College of Arts and Sciences)
Research Staff (Verde Island Passage Center for Oceanographic Research and Aquatic Life Sciences)
Email: jayvee.saco@gmail.com
To date, Dr. Saco has extensive seaweed research for about 10 years from a humble research assistant to a project leader now. He specialized in seaweeds’ ecophysiology, biodiversity, culture, cell biology, and taxonomy. He is also an educator handling courses in general and specialized biology.
The following are his research project involvement as either a research assistant and/or project leader.
- Biodiversity of seaweeds and associated flora in the Verde Island, Batangas City, Batangas, Philippines (External Funding – NAGAO Natural Environment Foundation, Inc., Japan) (January 2019 – present)
- Survey of vulnerable, threatened, endangered, and economically important marine organisms in Verde Island, Batangas City (Internal Funding – Batangas State University) (Aug 2018 – Jul 2019) (Co-Project Leader)
- VIP CORALS Marine Repository Hub (Internal Funding – Batangas State University) (Aug 2018 – Jul 2019) (Co-Project Leader)
- Establishment of the Verde Island Passage Center for Oceanographic Research and Aquatic Life Sciences (VIP CORALS) of the Batangas State University (BatStateU) (Internal Funding – BatStateU) (Feb 2018 – present) (Project Leader)
- DOST/PCAARRD: Program A: Culture Technology Enhancement to Improve Production Capacities of Philippine Seaweed Farms. Project 1: Use of Branch and Spore Culture Technologies to Enhance Seaweed Production in Farms (Department of Science and Technology the Philippines) (Jul 2013 – Sep 2014) (Senior Research Assistant)
- Diel and diurnal photosynthetic response of macro benthic algae from Bolinao, Pangasinan, Philippines and Improvement of G.T. Velasquez Phycological Herbarium (Internal Funding – University of the Philippines Diliman) (Jan 2009 – Jun 2013) (University Research Associate)
Dr. Saco, a recent graduate (September 2017) of Kochi University in Kochi, Japan, with a Doctor of Philosophy in Cell Biology degree under the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship. He obtained his Master of Science in Marine Science degree at the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City and was a thesis grantee of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Philippines.
In Japan, his research focused on photosynthetic characteristics of green macroalgae (Ulva, Monostroma) through their chloroplasts localization and movement determined from light absorption efficiency, oxygen measurement, and Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM) fluorometry. His research demonstrated the seaweeds’ adaptation and acclimation strategies to their intertidal habitat. He was able to strengthen the importance of understanding the physiological mechanism controlling photosynthesis in order to achieve efficient and optimal growth in seaweeds, particularly, the economically important species, Monostroma. This type of study could lead to sound, science-based designs to develop or improve sustainable cultivation practices.
In the Philippines, he was fortunate to work under Dr. Edna Ganzon-Fortes as his thesis adviser and immediate supervisor. He was able to do research on the photosynthetic responses of intertidal seaweeds of Bolinao, Pangasinan in relation to their thallus morphology, as part of my master’s thesis. His research furthered and supported the prediction that morphological form and physiological function co-evolved in tropical seaweed species. Moreover, he was a Senior Research Assistant of the DOST-funded Seaweed Program on culture technology enhancement of the commercially important red seaweeds species, Kappaphycus and Eucheuma, focused on the reproductive phenology of wild K. alvarezii. Furthermore, He was able to teach for one year in the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) handling a course in general biology.