Science Field: Biology

Nicole Ortiz is a PhD student of Neuroscience at Sorbonne Université, France specializing in cell and molecular biology, and developmental neurobiology. Her Master thesis was about investigating the effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor signaling on locomotor responses in zebrafish larvae.

Dr. Ryan De Sotto is a microbiologist, environmental engineer and synthetic biologist at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Synthetic Biology for Clinical and Technological Innovation Research Programme. His current work is on engineering a probiotic organism for atopic dermatitis (eczema) treatment on top of other research projects.

Joey Cabasan is a PhD student at the University of Antwerp’s Department of Biology in Belgium. She is currently working at their Functional Morphology (FunMorph) and Evolutionary Ecology Laboratory (EVECO).

Angelico “Anjo” Obille is 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. They are studying wet adhesion mechanisms utilized by freshwater mussels (Dreissena sp.)

Ara Joy Pacoma is a Science and Technology (S&T) Fellow at the Department of Science and Technology and a soon-to-be PhD graduate from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand for Environment, Development, and Sustainability. She is currently working on the Community Empowerment Thru Science & Technology Program and the Smart and Sustainable Communities Program.

Jasper Kit Tangal is a Registered Fisheries Professional currently taking up his Masters of Science in Fishery Science and Technology at the Department of Aquaculture of Kasetsart University, Thailand. He is a part of the Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Health Management, the Center of Excellence in Aquatic Animal Health Management, and the Special Research Incubator Unit for Development and Application of Vaccine Delivery Systems for Aquatic Animals.

Princess Aira Buma-at is a pre-Cambrian paleontologist taking her PhD at the Department of Zoology and University Museum of Zoology in Cambridge. She is studying Ediacaran macro and microfossils to understand how life evolved in its earliest stages.

Rhowell N. Tiozon, Jr. PhD is an International Consultant at the International Rice Research Institute – Philippines. He graduated last year as Summa Cum Laude after defending his thesis on the genetic diversity of pigmented rice and its nutritional benefits.

Jazz Ong is a wildlife educational speaker, herpetologist, and conservationist with the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity and LIGHT TV. Her primary work however is as the founder and director of Wildlife Matters.

Janina Carla Castro is a science communicator with a history in environmental science and sustainability. Some recent science communication work she has done include curating the “Making the Invisible Visible” pop up exhibition at the University of the Philippines about bird window collision, and working with the Ocean Media Institute for the making of the short film “I Am Ocean” about fisherfolk in Palawan.

Justine Dacanay is an NGS Research Fellow at the Singapore Center for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering. She manages the SCELSE Sequencing Facility, overseeing its day-to-day operations, fulfilling necessary administrative procedures, and demonstrating the work they do at the laboratory for students, stakeholders, professionals, and visitors alike.

Robert Aguilar is a PhD Candidate at the Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, United States of America and Vice President of GradMAP Philippines. He is currently studying the genetics involved in the nervous system development of C. elegans.

Rebecca Jean “RJ” Millena is currently taking up her PhD in Comparative Biology from the Richard Gilder Graduate School at the American Museum of Natural History, United States. She is studying twisted-wing insect parasites (Strepsiptera) where she is making thorough use of the collections at the American Museum of Natural History to investigate their host-parasite relationships, evolution, and genomics.

Jabez Joshua Flores is an environmental scientist and a senior lecturer at UP Open University and the University of the Philippines Rural High School. In 2022, Jabez took on a number of roles, creating maps as a spatial data scientist at the Pure Earth Blacksmith Institute and starting his fellowship with One Health for the NGOHP Program at St. Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine.

Erinne Ong is a Neuroscience Masters student at the International Max Planck Research School for Neurosciences at the University of Gottingen, Germany. She is currently investigating the role of myelin damage in Alzheimer’s disease.

Genea Nichole Cortez is a licensed teacher and a faculty member at the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Santo Tomas. In her free time, Ney is the artist behind Neymatophores, an online and print project depicting the beauty of mangroves.

Heidi Mendoza is a PhD Candidate at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Institute for Environmental Studies in the Netherlands. Her research focuses on stories of drought-to-flood events in the Peruvian Amazon.

Jelaine Gan is a biologist taking up her PhD in Biology at Newcastle University in the UK. She has published a book entitled “Wild City: A Photographic Guide to Amphibians, Mammals, and Reptiles of Metro Manila”, which encourages Filipinos to explore and learn more about the biodiversity in our cities.

Alyssa Gimenez is a PhD student in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California Berkeley. Her masteral research explored the impact of a green space intervention on premature aging among the Pilipinx community in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Deborah Tangunan is a micropaleontologist, biogeochemist, and palaeoclimate scientist, and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences in Cardiff University, UK. Currently, she is working on the biogeochemistry of marine calcifying organisms, and what they can tell us about ocean productivity, carbonate chemistry, and ecosystem function to better understand the present and future climate scenarios.