Hope Jahren

Hope Jahren is an award-winning American geochemist and professor known for her best-selling books Lab Girl, The Story of More, and other works. With a career in geoscience spanning nearly three decades, Jahren has become an inspiration for aspiring scientists and researchers.

Jahren was born in Oslo, Norway in 1969. Her mother was a homemaker and her father was an engineer. As a child, Jahren was fascinated by the natural world and spent most of her time playing outdoors. It was this interest in nature that motivated her to pursue a career in science. She attended the University of Oslo for her undergraduate degree in geochemistry, and the University of Hawaii for her doctorate. After earning her Ph.D. in 1996, Jahren continued her research in geoscience as a Fellow at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in 1989. As a graduate student, she also completed a National Science Foundation funded research project investigating the geochemistry of coastal upwelling.

Jahren’s academic career has been marked by several major achievements and awards. In 2003, she joined the faculty of the University of Hawaii at Manoa as a professor, and received a prestigious National Science Foundation Career award to fund her research. She served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journals of Structural and Geomorphic Research, and has supervised more than 50 Ph.D. students. Jahren has been the recipient of multiple awards throughout her career, including the Fulbright Fellowship and the Heinz Award for Public Policy.

In addition to her academic accomplishments, Jahren is also a successful writer. In 2016, she released her first book, Lab Girl, a memoir about her career as a geochemist. The book poignantly highlights her experiences in the lab, showcasing her skills and prowess in the field. It won multiple awards in its year of release, such as the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Personal Memoir. In the same year, Jahren was featured in the New York Times Magazine's Lives of Jewels series, which celebrates and recognizes scientists who have made significant contributions to their fields.

In 2020, Jahren released her second book, The Story of More, which addresses the current climate crisis and offers solutions to curb the effects of climate change. This book details Jahren’s personal experience with climate change and her personal journey to find meaningful solutions. Jahren is also the host of the award-winning podcast, The Plant Racers, which features conversations with experts on climate change and how it affects plants and the environment around us.

Jahren has accomplished a great deal throughout her career. She continues to inspire and motivate aspiring scientists through her books and lectures, and her research remains a source of pride for the scientific community. She is an outstanding and celebrated scientist and a testament to the fact that hard work and dedication truly pay off.