Deign Soriano

Featured on December 5, 2022

We’re down to our last Pinoy Scientists takeover for 2022! Meet Deign Soriano, who will soon be graduating with a Masters in Environmental Management from the University of Reading.

Deign graduated with a BS in Biology at the University of the Philippines Baguio under the DOST scholarship. His undergrad thesis revolved around the identification and distribution patterns of earthworms in selected sites in Abra and Ifugao.

After graduating, Deign worked in various roles, including: as a research assistant and biology instructor at UP Baguio, an environmental education consultant/educator at @savephseas, and a National Youth Council member at @wwfphilippines.

Last year, Deign received the Chevening scholarship from the UK government to pursue his Masters in Environmental Management at the University of Reading. His dissertation tackles ecosystem services, ecological quality, and remote sensing.

Outside of his studies, Deign is also a member of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, and an associate member of the Institution of Environmental Sciences.

Some fun facts about Deign:

1. He started teaching in UP at 20 years old. One member of the UP BOR mistakenly identified him as a student before when he visited his class.
2. He was part of the student chorale (shoutout to all Tenors!) of the university where he got his bachelor’s degree.
3. He and his siblings all have the same second name (Frolley) which is a portmanteau of his parents’ nicknames.
4. He used to live in a coastal area (Bataan) when he was young (the birthplace of his dad) but spent most of his young adult life in the Cordillera region (Abra and Baguio)—influenced his love for the seas, rivers, and mountains.
5. He has a quarter rest symbol tattoo on his arm to remind him that rest is vital to creating masterpieces!