Location (during time of takeover)
School/Institution
| Undergrad | Ateneo de Manila University Biology |
|---|---|
| Masters | University of Edinburgh Management of Bioeconomy, Innovation, and Governance |
| PhD | Utrecht University |
Featured on September 28, 2025
Closing out the month of September is Jose Joy “JJ” Gepanaga, a PhD Candidate at Utrecht University in the Netherlands studying under the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Faculty of Geoscience.
JJ completed his Bachelor of Science majoring in Biology at the Ateneo de Manila University. He graduated from his degree with the Honorable Mention distinction under the program’s research track. He worked as a Participant Services Representative at Manulife Business Processing Services for a year before moving to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) where he was a Science Research Specialist under their Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading (SETUP) Program. He then shifted to the Research Development & Management Division of the DOST Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) where he worked on R&D programs in Biomedical Devices and ‘OMICS’ Technologies for Health. In 2022, he was awarded the UK Chevening Awards Scholarship to study at the University of Edinburgh, where he took up his Master’s in Management of Bioeconomy, Innovation, and Governance. He graduated with distinction and received the David Edge Prize for Top Overall Performance in the Program, and Best Program Dissertation.
Earlier this year, he began his PhD at Utrecht University in the Netherlands under the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development. There, he is studying how to align scientific innovation, regulation, and policy in the field of precision oncology.
Some fun facts about JJ:
- Cats! His family takes in a lot of stray cats. At one point, they had 9 adult cats under their care. Since he cannot yet adopt cats here abroad, he is always on the lookout for fluffy, fancy, felines!
- Random Sports: He is game to try most sports or games – as long as they are on dry land. He plays recreational volleyball; some of the most interesting games he has tried include korfball, rounders, and ‘flunkyball’ (the latter, something he encourages you to try out.)
- He loves taking pictures with his trusty Pentax DSLR, ‘Sarlacc’
