Angelico Obille

Featured on June 1, 2025

With today marking the start of June, we’re welcoming in Pride month with Pinoy Scientist Angelico “Anjo” Obille (he/they) also known as Kwaga Musselle in drag. They are a PhD researcher at the University of Toronto, Canada Institute of Biomedical Engineering, reverse-engineering natural materials to find solutions to some sticky biomedical engineering challenges.

Anjo graduated with a Honours Bachelor of Science in Integrated Science, minor in Chemical Biology and Mathematics, from McMaster University, Canada in 2017. Their thesis involved the study of cellulosic material surface modification using click chemistry, which they presented at two Integrated Science symposiums. During their undergraduate years, they were also a Program Development Assistant and Teaching Assistant. In Anjo’s spare time, they founded and served as President of the McMaster Undergraduate Academic Astronomy Club. After completing their degree, Anjo worked for a year as a Chemical Regulatory Compliance Specialist at Hazox Chemical Reporting Systems before starting their PhD at the University of Toronto (UofT) in Biomedical Engineering.

Anjo is still in the process of completing their PhD, where they are studying wet adhesion mechanisms utilized by freshwater mussels (Dreissena sp.) They have presented their work at several conferences over the last three years, winning numerous best oral and poster presentation awards. In addition to their studies, Anjo has also worked as a teaching assistant at UofT as well as an Independent Biomaterials Consultant for Perimeter Medical Imaging AI. In 2024, they joined the 3-Minute Thesis competition at UofT, finishing as a finalist.

Some fun facts about Anjo:

• They have a mini dachshund named Mariposa
• 50% of the volume of their living room in their tiny Toronto apartment is their piano
• They debuted their drag persona, Kwaga Musselle, at last year’s Science is a Drag 5th Annual Science-Themed Drag Show