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About Us Christian Blanco

Christian Blanco Jaksic is a doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences (WISO) and the HCIAS. His doctoral project is co-supervised by Prof. Dr. Renata Motta. He is a sociologist and science policy researcher whose work examines the transformation of research evaluation, academic incentives, and higher education governance in the context of Open Science and artificial intelligence. His research combines perspectives from Science and Technology Studies (STS), sociology of science, and higher education studies to analyze how universities, funding agencies, and academic communities redefine notions of quality, impact, and scientific legitimacy.

Professionally, he has extensive experience in research policy, university management, consultancy and international academic cooperation, having worked with universities, public institutions, and international networks on issues related to higher education and research governance, internationalization, and science policy.

Christian Blanco is reviewer for academic journals and national competitive research funding schemes in the fields of higher education, sociology, and public policy, including FONDECYT–ANID and the National Council of Education (CNED), Chile.

Research

His current doctoral research at Heidelberg University explores how different academic cultures and institutional contexts shape responsible research assessment, the adoption of Open Science practices, and the integration of AI into research processes, with a comparative focus on Latin America and Europe. He is particularly interested in the socialization of researchers, the performative effects of rankings and evaluation systems, and the ways AI is reshaping scientific work, methodological practices, and academic careers.

Recent Publications

Table

Paulus, N., & Blanco, C. (2025). Fortaleciendo la formación de competencias profesionales y de análisis. Spirat: Revista Académica de Docencia y Gestión Universitaria. Actas del II Congreso Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Innovación e Investigación en Educación Superior (LatinSoTL 2024).
Blanco, C., Meneses, F., & Villamizar-Chaparro, M. (2022). Why student aid matters? Roadblocks to the transition into higher education for forced migrants in Chile (Policy Research Working Paper No. 10104). World Bank Group.
Lemaître, M. J., Ramírez, A., Baeza, P., & Blanco, C. (2021). Flexible learning pathways in Chilean higher education: Can a bottom-up approach work? UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) & CNED.
Meneses, F., Blanco, C., Flores, R., & Paredes, R. (2020). Conflicting incentives: Government financial aid, vocational-to-university track change and graduates’ wages in Chile. CAF – Development Bank of Latin America.
Paulus, N., & Blanco, C. (2020). Deseos, creencias y oportunidades en la toma de decisiones de estudiantes secundarios en tránsito a la universidad: Acciones y reacciones en torno a la implementación del puntaje ranking. Calidad en la Educación, (52).
Canals, C., Aguirre, C., Blanco, C., Fábrega, F., Mena, C., & Paulus, N. (2019). El “voucher” a la chilena: Reflexiones sobre elección escolar y financiamiento educacional. Estudios Pedagógicos, 45(1), 137–150.
Blanco, C., Meneses, F., & Paredes, R. (2018). Más allá de la deserción: Trayectorias académicas en la educación superior en Chile. Calidad en la Educación, (49), 137–187.
Razeto-Barry, P., Veloz, T., & Blanco, C. (2017). Acreditación en red: Un sistema de acreditación distribuida para la educación continua. Innoeduca: International Journal of Technology and Educational Innovation, 3(2), 90–98.
Blanco, C., & Meneses, F. (2014). Impacto de la ayuda financiera en la matrícula en la educación superior. Sociedad Hoy, (26), 107–117.
Muñoz, M., & Blanco, C. (2013). Una taxonomía de las universidades chilenas. Calidad en la Educación, (38), 213–282.

Research Grants

FONDECYT Grant No. 1120598: Geographical Structuring Effects on School Competition through GIS and Agent-Based Modelling (2012–2014), Co-Researcher.
Higher Education Research Grant (CNED): Más allá de la Deserción: Trayectorias Académicas en la Educación Superior en Chile (2017), Principal Investigator.
Higher Education Research Grant (CNED): El Efecto Ranking de Notas en Liceos Emblemáticos Capitalinos (2017), Co-Researcher.

Academic Distinctions and Scholarships

DAAD / ANID Full Doctoral Scholarship Recipient, Heidelberg University (2026–present)
Becas Chile ANID Full Master’s Scholarship Recipient, University of Oxford (2014–2015)
Tuition Scholarship Recipient for Master’s Studies, Universidad de Chile (2009–2010)
Top of the Class Award (Summa Cum Laude) in Sociology, Universidad de Chile (2009)

Contact

Christian blanco Jaksic

Heidelberg Center for Ibero-American Studies | HCIAS
Brunnengasse 1 69117, Heidelberg

Email:
christian.blanco(at)uni-heidelberg.de
chblancoj(at)gmail.com