Ambrose Jearld Jr.

After earning his PhD Jearld worked as an assistant professor of biology at Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) from 1975 until 1977 when he took an assistant professor position at Howard University.^[4] During this time, he took advantage of short-term research opportunities at different locations across the country, including studies of anchovy in San Francisco Bay in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore Laboratory and the University of California.^[3]

Jearld spent the summer of 1977 doing research with marine animals at the center's Sandy Hook Laboratory in New Jersey, and the summer of 1978 on a part-time appointment at the Woods Hole Laboratory. That summer, a permanent federal research position in Falmouth, Massachusetts was announced, which Jearld applied for, and was hired.^[3] Jearld worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) from 1978 until his retirement in 2016.

At the time of his hiring, Jearld was the first black researcher with a doctorate degree at NEFSC.^[1] He joined a group that was tasked with acquiring biological information to assess the populations and stocks of important fishery resources.^[5]  The group collected data on a wide range of metrics including age, which has resulted a robust and well-known data set of age composition for many fish and shellfish species.^[5] Jearld contributed to several studies on techniques for age determination including optical Fourier transform analysis of fish scales and definition of growth lines from microstructure of ocean quahog shells.^[5] He also authored the chapter on Age Determination in Fishery Techniques, an oft cited reference for fisheries scientists.

In 1985, Jearld became chief of the Research Planning and Evaluation Section, and in 1997 became chief of the Research Planning and Coordination. in 2004, he became the Director of Academic Programs, the position he eventually retired from in 2016.^[6]

In his role as a biologist and administrator, Jearld has provided NOAA with leadership on national and international affairs in South Africa. He was appointed to the US - South African Bi-Lateral Commission's Working Group on Fisheries and he worked with Sea Fisheries, South Africa, on development and implementation of a strategic plan, organizational restructuring, mandates for corrective actions dealing with human resources, and outreach and engagement with Tertiary Higher Education Institutions in South Africa. He has been intricately involved in NOAA science and technical support for six West African countries around the Gulf of Guinea.^[7]

Jearld was the first chair of the Woods Hole Diversity Advisory Committee, a six-institution collaboration started in 2004 to promote diversity and inclusion across the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Sea Education Association, United States Geological Survey, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Woods Hole Research Center.^[8] Ambrose Jearld Jr. was the co-founder of the Partnership Education Program (PEP) and served as its Director from its inception in 2009 until 2016, when he retired.^[9] PEP recruits mainly junior and senior undergraduate students from underrepresented groups interested in marine and environmental sciences.^[10] In 2017, the Woods Hole scientific community launched an annual lectureship named in his honor.

• 2021 American Geophysical Union Ambassador Awardee
• Inaugural class of American Fisheries Society Fellows in 2015^[11]
• Leadership Council of the American Geophysical Union^[12]
• 2004 Member of the Sea Education Association Board of Trustees^[6]
• 2007 Member of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Board of Trustees^[12]
• 2017 The Woods Hole Diversity Initiative^[13] launched the annual Ambrose Jearld Jr. lectureship recognizing Jearld's work on improving diversity and inclusion within the ocean sciences community.^[12] Speakers have included David J. Asai (2017),  Ashanti Johnson (2018), Warren M. Washington (2019) and Nigel Golden (2020).