Six UP researchers, graduates among the eight Filipinos in Asian Scientist 100

Six UP faculty members and alumni are in the 2018 edition of the Asian Scientist 100, a handpicked selection of Asian researchers in the Asia Pacific region who have been competitively chosen for prestigious scientific awards or have made major scientific contributions.

Dr. Aletta T. Yñiguez (assistant professor, Marine Science Institute, UP Diliman), Dr. Phillip A. Alviola (associate professor, Institute of Biological Sciences, UP Los Baños and curator, UP Los Baños Museum of Natural History) and Dr. Nathaniel P. Hermosa II (associate professor, National Institute of Physics, UP Diliman) are among the eight Filipinos featured in the latest list. Yñiguez, Alviola and Hermosa were recognized last year by the National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines with the Outstanding Young Scientist Award for marine biology and fisheries, wildlife studies, and physics, respectively. Hermosa was also chosen for the 2017 Third World Academy of Science Prize (Physics) and the 2017 Outstanding Research and Development Award for Basic Research (Eduardo A. Quisumbing Medal).

Also included are UP alumni Dr. Rogel Mari D. Sese (BS Applied Physics, UP Los Baños), Dr. Mario Antonio L. Jiz II (BS Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, UP Diliman) and Mr. Jeffrey S. Perez (BS Geology, UP Diliman). Sese is the program leader of the National Space Development Program of the Department of Science and Technology; Jiz is the head of the Immunology Department of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine; and Perez is the Supervising Science Research Specialist of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Jiz and Perez were recipients of the 2017 Outstanding Young Scientist Award for medical sciences, and civil and environmental engineering, respectively.

The other Filipinos in the list are Dr. Lanndon A. Ocampo (University of San Carlos) who was also named an Outstanding Young Scientist in 2017 and Dr. Lucille V. Abad (Philippine Nuclear Research Institute) who won the 2017 Outstanding Research and Development Award for Applied Research (Julian A. Banzon Medal).

The Asian Scientist 100 began in 2016 to “showcase the exciting science taking place in Asia”.  It is released by Singapore-based Asian Scientist Magazine.

This is the third year that UP researchers figured in the compilation. (See Asian Scientist list salutes the achievements of three UP researchers and Seven UP researchers included in Asian Scientist 100 for contributions to their fields)