8 Filipino scientists among Asia’s best — science magazine

MANILA, Philippines — Eight Filipino scientists were among the 100 researchers, academics, innovators and business leaders from the Asia-Pacific region who were honored this year by Singapore-based science and technology magazine Asian Scientist.

Included in the Asian Scientist 100 for 2018 edition were Filipino scientists whose works range from marine science, wildlife studies and physics, to biotechnology and geology.

They were included in the roster for receiving a national or international prize last year or have made significant contributions in scientific discovery or leadership that benefited academe or the industry.

The Filipinos feted include Aletta Yñiguez of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute, Philip Alviola of the UP Los Baños Institute of Biological Sciences and Nathaniel Hermosa II of the UP National Institute of Physics.

Also included are Rogel Mari Sese of the National Space Development Program of the Department of Science and Technology, Mario Antonio Jiz II of the Immunology Department of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and Jeffrey Perez of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

Completing the list are Lanndon Ocampo of the University of San Carlos and Lucille Abad of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute.

Yñiguez, Alviola and Hermosa were among those recognized last year by the National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines with the Outstanding Young Scientist Award for marine biology and fisheries, wildlife studies, and physics, respectively.

Meanwhile, Jiz and Perez were recipients of the 2017 Outstanding Young Scientist Award for medical sciences and civil and environmental engineering, respectively.

Ocampo was also named as an Outstanding Young Scientist last year, while Abad won the 2017 Outstanding Research and Development Award for Applied Research.

“The quantity and quality of research coming out of Asia has increased significantly in recent years. In showcasing the best and brightest that Asia has to offer the world, we hope that the AS100 list will inspire young scientists across Asia,” said Asian Scientist Magazine founder and editor-in-chief Juliana Chan.

“Because science is an increasingly global and networked endeavor, this list also opens up opportunities for international collaboration,” she added.

The Asian Scientist Magazine highlights research and development news stories from Asia to a global audience.