Location (during time of takeover)
School/Institution
| Undergrad | University of the Philippines Diliman Community Nutrition |
|---|---|
| Masters | University of the Philippines Diliman Community Nutrition |
Featured on March 8, 2026
Showing us how to shoot for the stars this International Womens Day is Catherine “Cath” Mandigma, RND—a board-certified nutritionist-dietitian specialising in astronaut nutrition and commercial spaceflight.
Cath earned her Bachelor’s degree in Community Nutrition from the University of the Philippines Diliman, where she is currently pursuing her Master’s in the same field. But her ambitions extend far beyond Earth. As the founder of Space4Pinays and President of the Philippine Space Biosciences Society, Cath works to advance the intersection of nutrition and space science, with past projects investigating how nutrition and physical activity influence bone metabolism in space—research that could help support astronaut health during long-duration missions.
With the impact of her work reaching beyond our atmosphere, Cath was among those recognized as Emerging Space Leaders by Blue Origin and the International Astronautical Federation in Paris in 2022.
Fun facts about Cath:
- She has travelled to 15 countries since Grade 6
- She didn’t know how to swim until her first PE class at UP Diliman — scuba diving
- Her birthday is tomorrow, March 9
