de la Peña | Santos | Felipe | Regalado | Espiritu | Juan | Abeledo | Dichosa | Fillone | Araga | Dacuycuy | Culaba | Alontaga | Tarroja | Ryan | Torres | Dugos

Speaker Bionote

Speaker

Research Congress 2022

dela pena

Fortunato T. de la Peña

Former Secretary
Department of Science and Technology

SPEAKER BIONOTE

santos

Joost Santos

Associate Professor
Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering at the George Washington University

SPEAKER BIONOTE

felipe

Jesus Felipe

Distinguished Visiting Professor at the School of Economics
De La Salle University

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regalado

Ralph Vincent Regalado
Senti Al’s CEO

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espiritu

Dr. Rafael A. Espiritu

Full Professor at the Department of Chemistry
De La Salle University

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juan

Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan

Associate Professor Department of History
De La Salle University

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abeledo

Dr. Chona Camille Vince Cruz-Abeledo

Associate Professor
Department of Biology
De La Salle University

SPEAKER BIONOTE

Ma. Corazon Halili-Dichosa

Executive Director, Philippine Board of Investments, DTI

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fillone

Dr. Alexis M. Fillone

Full Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
De La Salle University

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Edmund A. Araga

President, Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines

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dacuycuy

Dr. Lawrence Dacuycuy

Full Professor, School of Economics
De La Salle University

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culaba

Dr. Alvin Culaba

Academician, NAST  Distinguished Full Professor and University Fellow, De La Salle University Manila

SPEAKER BIONOTE

alontaga

Dr. Jasper Alontaga

Associate Professor
Department of Educational Leadership and Management
De La Salle University

SPEAKER BIONOTE

tarroja

Dr. Maria Caridad H. Tarroja

Full Professor
Department of Psychology
De La Salle University

SPEAKER BIONOTE

ryan

J. Michael Ryan

Associate Professor
Sociology at Nazarbayev University (Kazakhstan)

SPEAKER BIONOTE

torres

Jose Victor Z. Torres

Full Professor, Department of History
De La Salle University

SPEAKER BIONOTE

dugos

Dr. Nathaniel P. Dugos

Full Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering
De La Salle University

SPEAKER BIONOTE

Fortunato T. de la Peña is former Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) from June 2016 – June 2022. Before he assumed leadership of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), he was the Undersecretary for Science and Technology Services from 2001 to 2014. He graduated from the University of the Philippines with a degree in chemical engineering in 1969, and began his career as a cost and operations engineer with ESSO Standard Eastern. After returning to university for a master’s degree in industrial engineering, Mr De la Peña dedicated himself to academia, becoming an instructor in 1973 and a full professor in 1988. He also served as president of the Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology (PhilAAST) and is also a former chairman of the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development.

Joost Santos is currently an associate professor in the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering at the George Washington University. His research interests lie at the intersection of systems engineering, disaster risk analysis, and economics. Prof. Santos is one of the principal investigators in the 2018 “Mitigation Saves” report that has been cited by many journals, news media, and research agencies across the world. He is also one of the principal investigators in an ongoing multi-university National Science Foundation grant: “Collaborative Research: Organizing Decentralized Resilience in Critical Interdependent-infrastructure Systems and Processes.” 

Joost is one of the key developers of the inoperability input-output model (or IIM), which utilizes and transforms economic input-output accounts for disaster risk analysis applications. This model has been applied in various scenarios such hurricane impact analysis, multi-state electric power blackout, evaluation of renewable energy options, and most recently in the analysis of mitigation measures in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Joost has mentored several master's and doctoral students who have extended the IIM. Notable examples are Dr. Krista Yu from DLSU Manila and Dr. Joanna Resurreccion from UP Diliman. As part of his outreach activities to the Philippines, he has completed two Balik Scientist appointments at De La Salle University in 2012 and 2016. He has also served as a Visiting Professor at the University of the Philippines in 2015. He is currently a US Fulbright Scholar (2021-2022 cohort) working with DLSU as the host institution. Results of his research activities are documented in more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, including a highly cited article on the use of IIM, which appeared in an issue of Risk Analysis journal in 2004. He won two best paper awards from the Society for Risk Analysis. He was also the 2009 recipient of the Leontief Memorial Prize from the International Input-Output Association.

Jesus Felipe is Distinguished Visiting Professor at De La Salle University’s School of Economics. He worked for over 20 years at the Asian Development Bank, and also taught at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Jesus Felipe is the author of over 80 articles on different aspects of development, and four books. He has advised the governments of many Asian countries, as well as of Latin America and Africa, on growth, productivity, economic transformation, and employment. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Ralph Vincent Regalado is Senti AI's CEO and a Google Developer Expert for Machine Learning and the 2020 PCCI-Injap-Sia Outstanding Young Entrepreneur in Service Awardee.

Coming from the academe as a professor at De La Salle University, he began dabbling in the startup scene when he joined Ideaspace’s StartUp Weekend Manila. Ralph pitched the concept of an AI-backed analytics software that was able to understand Filipino languages and ended up winning. The winning solution became Senti AI’s first product - Pulse.

Dr. Rafael A. Espiritu is a Full Professor at the Department of Chemistry of De La Salle University. He finished his Bachelor in Secondary Education, BS Chemistry, and MS Chemistry degrees from De La Salle University. He obtained his PhD degree from Osaka University as a Japanese government scholar under the supervision of Prof. Michio Murata in 2013, investigating the mechanism of action of membrane-active marine natural products. Among his achievements and awards include placing 10th in the Chemists Licensure Examination (2007), Distinguished Lectureship Award (2017) from the Chemical Society of Japan, and 2nd place in the 2017 NAST Talent Search for Young Scientists. In 2016, he was selected as one of the recipients of the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship for Postdoctoral Researchers for a 2-year stint in the group of Prof. Dr. Ana Jesus Garcia-Saez at the Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen in Germany, focusing on the molecular events that occur during membrane permeabilization in non-apoptotic cell death. His research interest is mainly on membrane biophysics, regulated cell death and plasma membrane repair, and protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions. His team was recently selected for funding by DOST-PCHRD to conduct a multi-omics investigation of regulated necrosis in the context of colorectal cancer.

Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan is an Associate Professor at the De la Salle University Department of History. Her research interests include environmental history of the Philippines, history of disasters, history of leprosy in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, the Spanish colonial period, culture during the Japanese Occupation, and general topics about history and geography. 

In 2012, she won the Young Historian’s Prize of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. 

Her book titled Kasaysayan at Vulnerabilidad: Ang Lipunang Pilipino sa Harap ng Pananalanta ng Pesteng Balang, 1569-1949, published by De La Salle University Publishing House won the 2019 Outstanding Book Award granted by the National Academy for Science and Technology (NAST). She 

earned her degrees in Ph.D. History, M.A. History at B.A. History (cum laude) from the University of the Philippines Diliman.  

Dr. Chona Camille Vince Cruz-Abeledo is a faculty of the Department of Biology and leads the Molecular Ecology & Technology research team at the De La Salle University. They help in developing innovations for natural resource management at the nexus of molecular biology, genetics, ecology, big data, machine learning, and information technology. She is also the creator the science blog SHE-ensya, fueled by her advocacy in the improvement of communications between the scientific community and other sectors of society. 

A recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Asian Science Diplomat award and honored as one of 2021’s Southeast Asian Women Science Leaders, she has a diversified background in research rooted in a Bachelor of Science Degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the University of the Philippines – Diliman, which is complemented by a Master of Environment and Natural Resources Management degree from the UP Open University. Her dissertation work on the molecular and morphological characteristics on Scylla species in the Philippines celebrates the synergy between genetics and ecology, as she completed it from the De La Salle University, with a Fulbright dissertation grant to the University of Washington in Seattle. Innovations from this dissertation won her the DOST-PCIEERD’s 2015 Outstanding Research and Development Award for Emerging Technologies.

Right now, she is actively engaged in citizen science projects on the impacts of climate change in the conditions of coastal communities, and the assessment of plastic pollution in different ecosystems.

Ma. Corazon Halili-Dichosa is a career executive with more than 25 years in the Board of Investments (BOI). She is currently the Executive Director of the Industry Development Services (IDS). She is tasked to handle industry-related matters and policies of the agency.

She has handled various assignments in BOI, from industry development to international marketing and international negotiations. She also handles environmental policy matters, the agency’s Performance Governance Scorecard (PGS) and represents the agency in various tasks groups for vaccines and in the

National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS) Task Force.

Executive Director Dichosa is a graduate of B.S. in Chemical Engineering and M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the Mapua Institute of Technology and Bachelor of Laws from the AdamsonUniversity. Currently, she is taking up the Strategic Business Economics Program of the University of Asia and the Pacific.

Dr. Alexis M. Fillone is currently the holder of the Eduardo V. Gutierrez Professorial Chair in Engineering Education and Dr. John Lai Professorial Chair in Civil Engineering. He is a Professor of the Civil Engineering Department, De La Salle University, Manila. He earned his BS in Civil Engineering Degree (Cum Laude) from Central Philippine University, Iloilo City, his Master of Engineering (Transportation) at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Bangkok, Thailand and his PhD in Urban and Regional Planning at the School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP), University of the Philippines, Diliman, Philippines. He is recognized by PICE as a Specialist in Transportation Engineering and was the past president of the Transportation Science Society of the Philippines (TSSP). He has around 30 years of experience as a teacher in the field of transportation planning and traffic engineering and currently mentors several Master and PhD students at De La Salle University, Manila. He also has more than 20 years of experience in transport research focusing on travel behavior analysis, travel demand modeling, public transport planning, and traffic impact studies as well as consultancy work with the government and the private sector. He has published several journal articles in ISI and Scopus listed international journals and also has co-authorship of two books. Aside from being a registered Civil Engineer, he is also a registered Environmental Planner. 

EDMUND A. ARAGA is the founding member of AFEVA Asian Federation of Electri Vehicles Association, Inc. to ASEAN countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore by encouraging and inviting member countries to attend and participate the 1st ASEAN electric vehicle and hybrid Summit held at the World Trade Center Manila Philippines June 28-29, 2017, which brings together under one roof EVAP members and their foreign counterparts for B2B meetings. Most foreign alliances and joint ventures were forged during these Summits and is currently the president of the Electric Vehicles Association of the Philippines (EVAP), the official organization of some 55 major players in the EV industry in the Philippines.

As EVAP President, he represented the EV industry in the Senate hearings on the re: “An Act Providing the National Energy Policy and Regulatory Framework for the Use of Electric Vehicles, and the Establishment of Electric Charging Stations.” He is also advocating at both Congress and Senate for the passage of the Electric Vehicle and Hybrids Incentives Bill that will grant fiscal and fiscal incentives for both manufacturers and users of EVs and hybrids. 

As EVAP President, he organized three (3) Electric Vehicle Summit. 

Dr. Lawrence Dacuycuy is the Chair of the Social Science Division of the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP). He is a Full Professor and University Fellow at De La Salle University. He was the Dean of the DLSU School of Economics from 2013 to 2015. He is the Director of the DLSU Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies and the Editor–in–Chief of the DLSU Business and Economic Review. He also sits as a member of the Commission on Higher Education’s Technical Panel for Economics. 

Professor Dr. Alvin Culaba, a multi-awarded scientist, is an Academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines (NAST PH) recognized internationally for his pioneering and significant contribution to the development and applications of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology in manufacturing and energy systems engineering. His over 200 scientific paper in various journals are amongst the highly cited publications as evidenced by his h-index of 29, i-10 index of 62 and with 3017 citations. He is the focal person on energy at the NAST PHL, which provides advice to the President of the Philippines and the Philippine government. He was also a former Philippine Energy Adviser and member of the Joint Congressional Commission on Science, Technology and Engineering, and currently sits in the Presidential Coordinating Council for Research and Development. He was past Presidents of the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP), the Philippine-American Academy of Science and Engineering (PAASE) USA, and the Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology. An AUN-QA lead assessor, he is also consultant-adviser to several government agencies and private companies on energy and environmental sustainability, he completed important commissioned studies by the Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS) on the Philippines scoping study on Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIRe) as well as the crafting of the Philippine Research Development Agenda 2020-2025, and the UPPAF RESPOND paper on Policy Reforms on Philippines Innovation under the New Normal.

Dr. Culaba is a Distinguished Full Professor and University Fellow at De La Salle University Manila, and currently Director of its Center for Engineering and Sustainable Development Research. As DLSU’s Executive Vice President for External Relations and Internationalization from 2010-2016, he was instrumental in the globalization of De La Salle University where he had been a Dr. Culaba holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom as a DOST-ESEP Scholar He is listed in the Who’s Who in Philippine Engineering, Fellow of the ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology (AAET), and the chairholder of the Go Peng Kuan Chair Professor in Mechanical Engineering Mr. & Mrs. Huang Kong Chim Chair Professor in Chemical Engineering.

 

Dr. Alontaga is an Associate Professor under the Department of Educational Leadership and Management, Br. Andrew Gonzalez, FSC - College of Education at De La Salle University – Manila, handling educational technology and other professional education courses for both the undergraduate and graduate programs for the last 17 years using blended learning delivery. He also served in various committees of the College, including as coordinator of the MA Educational Technology and Action Research. 

Currently, he is the Director of the Academic Support for Instructional Services and Technology (ASIST) of De La Salle University – Manila in charge of training teachers on Online/Blended Learning and Canvas LMS course development. He earned his PhD in Special Education at the University of the Philippines – Diliman.

Dr. Maria Caridad H. Tarroja, a Full Professor of the Department of Psychology at De La Salle University, is a Registered Psychologist, and a PAP-certified Assessment and Clinical Psychologist.  As a Psychologist, Dr. Tarroja tries to strike a balance between being a practicing Clinical Psychologist, Teacher, and Researcher.  As a teacher, she teaches both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, specializing in assessment, clinical psychology and ethics related courses.  She was the Director of the Social Development Research Center of DLSU for 5 years, 2014-2019.  In her stint as a Director, she has led several externally-funded research including several projects on OSAEC (Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children). She has held several leadership position in different organizations. She is the immediate past President of the ASEAN Regional Union of Psychological Societies (ARUPS, and a past president of the Psychological Association of the Philippines.  In 2016, the Psychological Association of the Philippines named her as Outstanding Psychologist of the Philippines for her contributions in Psychology as a practitioner, researcher, and leader in different organizations. 

Michael Ryan is currently an Associate Professor of Sociology at Nazarbayev University (Kazakhstan) and has previously held academic positions in Portugal, Egypt, Ecuador, and the USA. Before returning to academia, Dr. Ryan worked as a research methodologist at the National Center for Health Statistics in Washington, D.C. He is the author (with Serena Nanda) of COVID-19: Social inequalities and human possibilities (Routledge 2022) and has edited an additional six volumes on the topic of the pandemic. He is also the founding and series editor of Routledge’s The COVID-19 Pandemic Series. He is currently co-authoring (with George Ritzer) the next edition of The McDonaldization of Society, as well as the next edition of Ritzer’s best-selling Introduction to Sociology textbook.

 

JOSE VICTOR Z. TORRES is a Full Professor at the History Department of the De La Salle University-Manila and an Associate Director for Drama and History at the Bienvenido N. Santos Creative Writing Center in the same university.  He graduated with an AB Journalism degree at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and a M.A. and PhD (magna cum laude) in History at the UST Graduate School.  He was a former researcher for the Intramuros Administration before he entered the teaching profession at UST and DLSU-Manila.  He is a multi-awarded writer, winning the prestigious Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature five times and the National Book Award for Travel Writing in 2006 for his book: Ciudad Murada: A Walk Through Historic Intramuros..  In 2017, he won his second National Book Award for the Essays in English category for his book, To the Person Sitting in Darkness and Other Footnotes of Our Past. He is the author and editor of books on Philippine history and culture and a contributor of articles on history and culture to local magazines and university journals.  He has also lectured in both local and international conferences on history and culture. 


Dr. Nathaniel P. Dugos is a Full Professor of the Department of Chemical Engineering, De La Salle University, and holder of the Tan Yan Kee Foundation Professorial Chair in Chemical Engineering and Carlos Palanca Sr. Professorial Chair in Production Engineering Management. He pioneered and spearheaded tissue engineering research at DLSU. Prof. Dugos is the founding and current head of the DLSU Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Laboratory and principal investigator and research manager of the “Kidney Bioengineering” project. His most recent externally-funded project focuses on the development and fabrication of hydrogels for kidney tissue regeneration. In 2019, he received the Filipino Faces of Biotechnology Award for his outstanding contribution to the advancement of biotechnology in the Philippines. He is a Fellowof the Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers (PIChE) and recipient of the 2017 Professional Regulation Commission’s Most Outstanding Professional of the Year Award in the field of

Chemical Engineering and the 2017 PIChE Outstanding Chemical Engineer Award. 

He is the current Executive Vice President of PIChE, a senior member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and a member of the prestigious Society for Biological Engineering (SBE) and Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS).