UP Marine Science Institute

Meet our speaker! For the next entry in the MSI Lecture Series, Balik Scientist Dr. Andrian “Adi” Gajigan of Cornell University will discuss the role of viruses in marine ecosystem, with focus on the giant viruses of phylum 𝘕𝘶𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘰𝘤𝘺𝘵𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘢 and the symbiotic and opportunistic pathogens in seaweed ice-ice disease and heat-stressed corals.

“The Viral Frontier: Mapping the Constellation of Marine Symbionts-Pathogens” will be held on June 23, 2026, 10:00 AM. As a hybrid webinar, guests will be allowed to attend at the MSI AVR or through Zoom. Register now: bit.ly/MSITalk_Gajigan

The UP Marine Science Institute invites everyone to “The Viral Frontier: Mapping the Constellation of Marine Symbionts-Pathogens in a Changing Ocean”, a talk by Balik Scientist Dr. Andrian Gajigan of Cornell University. The talk will discuss the role of viruses in the marine ecosystem, with focus on the giant viruses of phylum 𝘕𝘶𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘰𝘤𝘺𝘵𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘢 and the symbiotic and opportunistic pathogens in seaweed ice-ice disease and heat-stressed corals.

Dr. Gajigan’s talk will be held on June 23, 2026, 10:00 AM. As a hybrid webinar, guests will be allowed to attend at the MSI AVR or through Zoom. Register now: bit.ly/MSITalk_Gajigan

The Marine Science Institute, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman (UP MSI) now welcomes inquiries regarding faculty positions in the following disciplines:

GEOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY
CHEMICAL OCEANOGRAPHY
MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY
ADVANCED AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS
(As of 16/06/2026) BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY

We are looking for highly motivated scientists with strong research and teaching achievements and a commitment to inspiring students to pursue interdisciplinary research and mentorship careers.

Ph.D. or equivalent degree holders in any field, from a reputable university or institute, with relevant work experience, may inquire. We are open to scientists from diverse fields who can contribute new perspectives to our curriculum.

Inquiries should be sent by e-mail to:

Dr. Arturo O. Lluisma
Director
Marine Science Institute
College of Science
University of the Philippines Diliman
Email: [email protected]
CC: [email protected]

See post for full details.

Please check back at this link for more updates: https://msi.upd.edu.ph/open-faculty-positions-june-2026/

Congratulations to our faculty, students, and partners for being recognized with Special Citation for the 2026 NAST Outstanding Book and/or Monograph Award!

"The West Philippine Sea: State of the Coasts" or WPS-SOC is a comprehensive overview of the current state of the coastal and marine environment in the West Philippine Sea, including detailed information on the coral reefs, fisheries, and various aspects of coastal resource management initiatives in 14 localities in the region. This is a continuation of the Reefs Through Time and State of the Coasts series, which is a collection of publications on Philippine coral reefs.

WPS-SOC is edited by UP MSI Professor Emeritus Dr. Porfirio Aliño, former UP MSI faculty Dr. Hazel Arceo, former UP MSI student Mary Joyce Velos, and our longtime collaborator, Atty. Aleta Nuñez. We also acknowledge the many contributing authors for the book, representing several laboratories of UP MSI and our partners from UP Diliman, UP Los Baños, UP Cebu, UP Mindanao, Western Philippines University, DA-BFAR, DA-NFRDI, and USAID Fish Right.

Read the WPS-SOC brief and digital copy: https://msi.upd.edu.ph/downloads/wps-soc-2024/

UP MSI warmly congratulates all our current and former faculty and students who were recognized and honored at the 2026 NAST Awards. The awarding ceremony will be held during the 48th Annual Scientific Meeting on July 9, 2026. Padayon, Mandaragat!

ERRATUM: This post has been corrected to clarify that Mary Joyce Velos and Dr. Jem Baldisimo are former researchers of UP MSI, with the addition that Dr. Hazel Arceo is a current faculty member of UP Cebu.

Excellence in marine science continues with the 2026 recipients of NAST’s Outstanding Scientific Paper Award! UP MSI proudly congratulates our Associate Professor and 2026 Outstanding Young Scientist Dr. Wilfred John Santiañez, Assistant Professor Dr. Charina Lyn Repollo, and MSI alumnus Dr. Paul Caesar Flores!

Read the winning papers:

Santiañez, W.J.E. & Kogame, K. (2022). 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘻𝘢𝘦𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘢 gen. & comb. nov. (Scytosiphonaceae, Phaeophyceae) from the tropical Northwestern Pacific Ocean. 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 16(1), 1-7. https://bit.ly/NASTOSP2026_Santianez-and-Kogame-2022

Flores, P.C.M., Reyes, R.B., Amedo-Repollo, C.L., Rediang, A., Alfante, R.M., Bauzon, M.D.A., Pasaje, N., & Bringas, D. (2022). Local tide and geoid corrections significantly improve coastal retracked Jason Sea surface heights in the Philippines. 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 151(6B), 2471-2487. https://bit.ly/NASTOSP2026_Flores-et-al-2022

The UP Marine Science Institute proudly congratulates our very own Dr. Wilfred John Santiañez for being awarded this year’s NAST Outstanding Young Scientist!

Dr. Santiañez is recognized for his work in natural history sciences. As the most prolific Filipino seaweed taxonomist of his generation, he has performed extensive and innovative work in molecular-based biodiversity and systematics research on seaweeds, and has, to date, described/named a new seaweed tribe, eight new seaweed genera, four new seaweed species, and reclassified 31 seaweed taxa from the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans.

His research bridges seaweed biodiversity and systematics with conservation, policy, sustainable development, and the emerging blue economy. His foundational work in basic marine phycology explores new potential economic uses for underutilized species in the Philippine seaweed industry, such as 𝘜𝘭𝘷𝘢, 𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘪, 𝘈𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘹𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘴, and 𝘗𝘩𝘺𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘢 — a genus that Dr. Santiañez named himself, locally known as gamét. Dr. Santiañez also leads and is involved in projects that document seaweeds in unexplored, vulnerable areas such as the Kalayaan Island Group and the Philippine Rise. He published the first record of 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘴𝘪𝘢 in the West Philippine Sea, a red seaweed that is known to produce a potent anti-viral protein against HIV, COVID-19, hepatitis C, Japanese encephalitis, herpes, and HPV.

Many of these discoveries are preserved in the UP Marine Science Institute's Marine Macroalgal Reference Culture Collection (UPMMARCC), a biobank of over 500 seaweed genetic resources established and managed by Dr. Santiañez that houses specimens representing either new records to the Philippines or putative new genera and/or species. Dr. Santiañez is also committed to preserving the legacy of the phycologists that came before him, which is the first time that seaweed genera are named after Filipino scientists. Several of the taxa that he discovered are named after eminent scientists in Philippine phycology: 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘻𝘢𝘦𝘢, a brown seaweed genus named after the late Dr. Artemio V. Manza; 𝘈𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘥𝘯𝘢𝘦, a brown seaweed species named after Dr. Edna T. Ganzon-Fortes; and 𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢, a brown seaweed genus named after Dr. Santiañez's mentor, National Scientist Gavino Trono, Jr. As the host of the most diverse and widely sampled collection of living seaweeds being maintained in vitro in the country, UPMMARCC complements the collection of Gregorio T. Velasquez Phycological Herbarium, which is also currently curated by Dr. Santiañez.

Dr. Santiañez joins his fellow faculty members at UP MSI that were previously recognized as Outstanding Young Scientist Awardees: National Scientist Lourdes Cruz, Acd. Porfirio Aliño, Acd. Gil Jacinto, Acd. Marie Antonette Juinio-Meñez, Acd. Cesar Villanoy, the late Dr. Miguel Fortes, Dr. Helen Yap, Director Dr. Arturo Lluisma, Dr. Laura David, the late Dr. Ronald Villanueva, Dr. Rene Abesamis, Dr. Rachel June Ravago-Gotanco, Dr. Aletta Yñiguez, and Dr. Lilibeth Salvador-Reyes. Padayon, Mandaragat!

INTRODUCING: Academician Michael Y. Roleda, Dr. rer. nat!

The UP Marine Science Institute proudly congratulates our very own Dr. Michael Y. Roleda for being elected Member of the National Academy of Science and Technology!

Dr. Roleda is recognized for over 30 years of experience in Philippine and international phycology. As the principal investigator of the Algal Ecophysiology Laboratory at UP MSI, he leads projects that advance understanding of the biology, environmental adaptation, and industrial applications of microalgae and macroalgae. His work focuses heavily on the major carrageenan-producing seaweeds of the Philippine seaweed industry such as 𝘒𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘤𝘶𝘴 and 𝘌𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘶𝘮𝘢, emphasizing biodiversity conservation, domestication, climate resilience, and sustainable crop production. Among his major achievements is the establishment of the Seaweed Culture Laboratory and Gene Bank: a collection of over 200 unique seaweed strains that are being developed for genetic traits that can support a more productive and more resilient seaweed industry.

His studies extend far beyond the Philippines, as Dr. Roleda has accomplished algal research that spans the temperate and polar regions of Germany, Sweden, Scotland, Norway, New Zealand, Svalbard, and King George Island. He consistently ranks among the World Top 2% Scientists, and he currently sits as a Council Member of the International Seaweed Association and the Global Seaweed Coalition. In 2025, he spearheaded the organizing committee for the 13th International Phycological Congress held in Panglao, Bohol and hosted by UP Diliman.

Beyond academia, Dr. Roleda actively collaborates with farmers, government agencies, NGOs, and industry stakeholders to improve the seaweed value chain, promote sustainable livelihoods, and support policy development.

As a newly elected member, Dr. Roleda joins the ranks of his fellow faculty from UP MSI: the late National Scientist Edgardo Gomez, National Scientist Gavino Trono Jr., National Scientist Lourdes Cruz, Acd. Rhodora Azanza, Acd. Gil Jacinto, Acd. Marco Nemesio Montaño, Acd. Gisela Concepcion, Acd. Porfirio Aliño, Acd. Marie Antonette Juinio-Meñez, Acd. Cesar Villanoy, and Acd. Fernando Siringan.

He will be formally conferred the title of Academician at the 48th NAST Annual Scientific Meeting on July 9, 2026. Padayon, Mandaragat!

Join us in celebrating our rich marine biodiversity and heritage this Philippine Environment Month by exploring UP MSI’s royalty-free image collection of Pag-asa Island marine organisms! These photos are freely available for use and can be utilized in promoting marine education and ocean literacy.

🦀 Visit Pag-asa Island’s Galleries of Biodiversity here: https://msi.upd.edu.ph/research/pag-asa-island/

As a global center of marine biodiversity, studying and documenting the Philippines’ marine ecosystems remain more important than ever. This is especially true in the West Philippine Sea, where coral reefs and their associated habitats support marine life, and serve as important breeding grounds for numerous fish species. The role played by the West Philippine Sea in providing food and livelihoods for many Filipinos highlights the need to continue expanding our knowledge of the region’s natural resources.

Throughout Philippine Environment Month, we also mark several important environmental observances: World Reef Day (June 1), World Environment Day (June 5), World Oceans Day (June 8 ), and Coral Triangle Day (June 9). Let each celebration remind us of the value of our marine ecosystems and the importance of fostering greater awareness of our oceans.

🌐 Learn more about Pag-asa Island's biodiversity and access a growing collection of images documenting its marine organisms through the Pag-asa Island webpage. The gallery photos are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License. Reuse and adaptation of these images is free for non-commercial purposes, provided that photo credits are indicated for each photo.

URGENT HIRING: The Archipelagic Chemical Oceanography Laboratory is hiring a University Research Associate I to serve as an in-house RA. Graduates of BS Chemistry and incoming MSc students of the UP Marine Science Institute are highly encouraged to apply.

Interested applicants must submit their applications to Dr. Iris Orizar at [email protected] with the subject line “ArCO Lab In-House Application” by June 15, 2026, 5:00 PM.

Visual card c/o Dr. Iris Orizar

Last April 21–22, 2026, UP MSI welcomed students enrolled in MS1 during Second Semester AY 2025–2026 for a tour of the Institute’s research facilities and laboratories. Held every semester, the tour introduces students to UP MSI’s research initiatives and helps them gain a deeper appreciation of the ocean.

This semester, students visited the Gregorio T. Velasquez Herbarium, the UP Marine Macroalgal Reference Culture Collection (UPMMARCC), the Rhodora V. Azanza Marine Micro-Algal Culture Collection (RVA-MMCC), the Plastics Research Facilities, and the Fish and Invertebrates Collection of the Marine Biodiversity Resources and Information System.

The tour was organized by Dr. Wilfred John Santiañez together with Dr. Maria Celia Malay, Dr. Rachel Ravago-Gotanco, Dr. Rene Abesamis, Dr. Gizelle Batomalaque, Dr. Deo Florence Onda, and Dr. Aletta Yñiguez, with the assistance of their research staff.