Ask Theory

Franklin Cercado is a licensed geologist and scuba diver. He works for the Iloilo Provincial Government in the Environment and Natural Resources Office, and is taking a masters' degree in Biology in U.P. Visayas. We talked about striking a balance between economic needs and environmental preservation, interdisciplinary and interregional cooperation in tackling environmental concerns, insightful st...

Dr. Buddy Omar is a clinical fellow in neuro-oncology at the University of Toronto, and is taking his Masters of Science in Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. After his time in the PGH Neurosurgery Residency program, he pursued further training in endoscopic skull base surgery at the University of Calgary. We talked about the disparities in neurosurgery across the world...

Dr. Rodney Perez is a senior researcher at the National Institute for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of the Philippines Los Baños. His research work is focused on the elucidation of the biosynthetic mechanism, mode of action, and the application of antimicrobial peptides (bacteriocins) from lactic acid bacteria. In 2021, he became the first Filipino to be given the Young Asi...

Diovanie de Jesus is a Campaign and Science Specialist at Oceana Philippines. He worked as a research associate at the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines.  His previous research work experience enabled him to conduct studies about coral reef ecosystems, help with the management of the Philippines’ Marine Protected Areas, and assist in the plans for the Coral Triangl...

Jovannemar Anire is a Masters student at Wageningen University who specializes in plant breeding and genetic resources. He worked as a faculty researcher at Visayas State University, where he headed the Varietal Improvement Section of the National Coconut Research Center - Visayas. We talked about some of the basics of plant breeding, some little-known things about coconuts, the science behind mac...

Paul Caesar Flores is a PhD student at Yokohama National University and a Research Student at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology. He is particularly interested in the fields of marine geophysics, seismology, and earthquakes, and was involved in multiple projects such as mapping mesophotic coral ecosystems, offshore active faults, and sea level rise. We talked about the field...

Dr. Joshua P. Torres is a conotoxinologist at the Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Copenhagen. As a medicinal chemist, he studies the medicinal potential of marine animals and bacteria, mostly from the Philippines. We talked about cone snails and how they manage to be both dangerous and beneficial to humans, the discovery of the cancer-killing molecule boholamide A , the rela...

Roxanne Aviñante is a Senior Science Research Specialist at DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), and the Project Leader for the Kooha App. She is a research professional and software engineer with over a decade of experience in information and communication technology research and development (R&D) and systems engineering. We talked about what “citizen science” means, wh...

Framelia Anonas heads the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute's Nuclear Information and Documentation Section, which handles the content creation, media relations, events organizing, information services, and social media of the Institute. We talked about what she likes most about nuclear power, her most memorable experience related to your work, being skeptical about new information, the most c...

Alexis Kristin Bautista is a food hygienist who serves as the Hygiene and Sustainability Team Lead of SMX Convention Center under SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. She handles food safety, hygiene, and sanitation in convention centers and hotel properties across the Philippines, with nearly a decade of extensive experience in the industry. We talked about the more complicated aspects of food safety...

Dr. Peter Julian Cayton is an Associate Professor at the School of Statistics, University of the Philippines Diliman. He also pursues interdisciplinary work as a member of the UP Resilience Institute, which conducts cutting-edge research in Philippine disaster risk reduction and management. He engages in a range of applications in statistics on volcanology, climatology, resource management, and ep...

Mark Joseph Tinao is a biologist and a Certified Pollution Control Officer. He streams online content about farming, academic writing, and science & technology as Seph Scientist, promoting science communication and encouraging young people to pursue careers in the sciences. We talked about environmental education & pollution control, plant science and conservation, looking at biology as mo...

Jonas Marie Dumdum is a registered chemist and sustainability science and policy advocate. He volunteers as coordinator for the Energy SubCluster of The Climate Reality Project Philippines. He also hosts the SUSTAINARUMBLE! Podcast, the first podcast that explores critical issues on sustainable development in the Philippines. We talked about ensuring the effectiveness of environmental sustainabili...

Engr. Julius Sempio is a licensed geodetic engineer specializing in geoinformatics and remote sensing. He is an advocate of space science in the Philippines, as well as a komikero (Pinoy komiks creator). We talked about the current state of space science in the Philippines, why microsatellites are such a big deal, working with the Diwata-1 microsatellite, common misconceptions Filipinos have about...

Carina Laroza is an inclusive science communication advocate and the founder of Scienkidfic Xplorers (now AghamJuan). She develops and conducts science outreach programmes for underserved communities and public schools around Metro Manila, and trains volunteers on how to effectively facilitate the programmes. She also obtained an MSc Science Communication degree at the University of the West of En...

Dr. Regine Carandang is a licensed dentist working in Makati. She specializes in Orthodontics, and has a developing love for aesthetic dentistry and prosthodontics. We talked about some of the most common myths about dental care and dental health, why some people don’t seem to prioritize dental care, how often one should really be consulting a dentist, what it’s like to be a dentist in the Philipp...

Dr. Mario Jiz is the Chair of the Immunology Department at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM). In 2017, the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) recognized him as an Outstanding Young Scientist for medical sciences due to his major contributions in schistosomiasis research and vaccine development. We talked about the work of an immunologist, the highs and lows of purs...

Dr. Alex Legarda is a family physician and clinic manager of FriendlyCare and the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) Family Wellness Clinic. We talked about the work of a doctor trained in family medicine, why someone would choose to train as a family physician, the average Filipino’s attitude toward doctors, improving the Philippine healthcare system, family planning methods, and m...

Felichi Mae Arines is a PhD student in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of Michigan. She worked at the International Rice Research Institute, where she was part of a team tasked with developing iron- and zinc-enriched rice. She recently obtained a Barbour Scholarship, which is awarded to outstanding women graduate students from Asia and the Middle East. We talked ab...

Everlyn Gayle Tamayo plays a key role in the development, implementation and review of air quality activities and projects of an international non-profit NGO focused on air quality management by providing technical guidance in current and emerging air quality issues in the region, particularly in air quality monitoring, emissions inventory, health impact assessment, and capacity building. She has...

Everlyn Gayle Tamayo plays a key role in the development, implementation and review of air quality activities and projects of an international non-profit NGO focused on air quality management by providing technical guidance in current and emerging air quality issues in the region, particularly in air quality monitoring, emissions inventory, health impact assessment, and capacity building. She has...

Dr. Ryan Collantes is an ophthalmologist who is actively doing research on the genetics of inherited ocular disorders. He is currently a research scientist at the Ocular Genomics Institute at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. We talked about juvenile onset open angle glaucoma, the discovery of the novel EFEMP1 mutations in Filipino families, the value of con...

This episode of Ask Theory was made possible by the British Council in the Philippines, in support of their Women in STEM Scholarship program. Pamela Louise Tolentino is a researcher whose specialty lies in the roles of different watershed characteristics and hydrometeorological factors on river discharge. She handles projects involving the fields of hydrogeology, water quality, water resources, c...

This episode of Ask Theory was made possible by the British Council in the Philippines, in support of their Women in STEM Scholarship program. Ica Fernandez is an environmental planner and applied researcher working with spatial data for decision-making in transitional and post-crisis situations. She has served as consultant and evaluator for various international development organizations, nation...

Dr. Ryan Collantes is an ophthalmologist who is actively doing research on the genetics of inherited ocular disorders. He is currently a research scientist at the Ocular Genomics Institute at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. We talked about the fear of going blind, genetic eye conditions and how they can lead to blindness, superstitious beliefs regarding ge...