(MAY 15)—Dr. Charissa Marcaida Ferrera of The Marine Science Institute (MSI) and Prof. Gay Jane Perez, PhD, of the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (IESM) were among the featured experts in their respective fields in the Asian Scientist 100 (2019 edition). 

Published by Singapore-based Asian Scientist Magazine (ASM), Asian Scientist 100 is an annual listing of researchers, academicians, innovators and business leaders from the Asia-Pacific region who have received a national or international prize in 2018 for their scientific research, or those who have made significant contributions in scientific discovery or leadership that benefited either the academia or industry. The ASM is an award-winning science and technology magazine that highlights research and development news stories from Asia to a global audience. 

“We hope that with our yearly publication of the Asian Scientist 100, outstanding researchers from Asia will be recognized for their fervent passion to further scientific knowledge and impact people’s lives,” said Dr. Juliana Chan, ASM editor-in-chief. 

This year’s honorees came from diverse disciplines ranging from materials science to molecular biology and particle physics.

Ferrera, chosen for Life Sciences discipline, is a 2018 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Fellowship awardee for her research on understanding and improving water quality in coastal towns. She particularly did an assessment on the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus present in the water in mariculture-impacted tropical coastal areas in Bolinao and Anda, Pangasinan. Ferrera is currently doing her post-doctoral research at The MSI, under the Balik-scientist program of DOST-PCAARRD (Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development).

Perez, selected for the field of Environmental Sciences and Geology, is the first Filipino recipient of the 2018 ASEAN-US Science Prize for Women. She won the prestigious award for her research on improving yield using satellite observations, together with various models and ground data. Her work aims to better derive and develop prediction tools for agriculture in the Philippines. She currently serves as IESM Deputy Director. — Bino Gamba, images from IESM and Charissa Marcaida Ferrera