Inorganic Biogeochemistry and Biotechnology Research Laboratory

03/08/2026

Done. Dusted. Defended! 👩‍🎓

BIG CONGRATULATIONS for successfully defending your MS thesis, Master Mea (Mea Sucgang )

Padayon! 🌻

23/07/2026

Tiny organisms, big impact on our oceans. 🌊🔬

Our MS Marine Science student, Hannah Mae D. Sucgang, will present her thesis on how nutrients—particularly nitrate and iron—affect the growth of microscopic algae in seawater.

These tiny algae help support marine food webs, influence ocean health, and can be closely connected to coral reef ecosystems. Hannah’s research helps us better understand how changes in nutrients may shape life in our seas.

Join us in wishing Mea all the best for her thesis defense!

09/07/2026

THESIS OPPORTUNITY!!!

The Inorganic Biogeochemistry and Biotechnology Research Laboratory , in collaboration with the DOST-PCIEERD, is exploring the world of novel bioactive materials in different seaweed species under the project “Biorefinery Systems for Sustainable Production of Antioxidants and High Value Materials from Algae”.

This opportunity welcomes CS-UPD undergraduate students who want to work on the chemistry of macroalgae and their potential application to various fields.

If you are interested in improving your analytical and laboratory skills, you are very encouraged to join the laboratory.

If you want to apply, please submit a copy of your CV to Dr. Irene B. Rodriguez through this email address: [email protected].

For more information, kindly shoot an email at [email protected].

03/07/2026

Pagbati to the exceptional graduates of the Inorganic Biogeochemistry and Biotechnology Research Laboratory Batch 2026!

🧜 3 MS in Marine Science
🧑‍🔬 3 BS in Chemistry
👨🏻‍🔬1 MS Chemistry (Pick – Up), Straight Ph.D. Program

As you sail to the vast ocean of possibilities, may you continue to inspire and make a ripple of impact not just to the sea but to the world and beyond 🌏

30/06/2026

29/06/2026

The Inorganic Biogeochemistry and Biotechnology Research Laboratory proudly congratulates Ms. Angela Neylan Sunga for her participation in the Institute of Chemistry Undergraduate Thesis Symposium held on June 15, 2026.

Ms. Sunga presented her undergraduate thesis entitled “Trace Metal Analysis of Atmospheric Aerosols from Bolinao, Pangasinan.”

The IBR Lab is proud of Ms. Sunga's achievement and dedication to scientific research. We wish her continued success in her future endeavors!

15/06/2026

CONGRATULATIONS, Master Iris! 🎓🌊✨

Our very own Ms. Earth PH (Mabini, Batangas), Iris (), has successfully defended her MSc thesis on influence of SGD on geochemical composition of sediments from Mabini 🫧

Huge congratulations! Padayon, Iris! 🌻🌻🌻

06/06/2026

MALUGOD NA PAGBATI, DR. SANTIAÑEZ! 🎊

MALUGOD NA PAGBATI, DR. SANTIAÑEZ! 🥳

Join us in congratulating our laboratory head, Dr. Wilfred John E. Santiañez, for being chosen as an OUTSTANDING YOUNG SCIENTIST for Natural History Sciences by the National Academy of Science and Technology – Philippines. 🏆

Considered as the most prolific Filipino seaweed taxonomist of his generation, Dr. Santiañez has been making waves in seaweed biodiversity and systematics, having described and/or named one new brown seaweed tribe, eight new seaweed genera, four new seaweed species, and the reclassification of 31 seaweed taxa from the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. These discoveries early in his career are exceptional as very few Filipino botanists (even outside phycology) have described this many genera.

As a marine agronomist, Dr. Santiañez has years of experience working on the farming of carrageenan-producing seaweeds Eucheuma and Kappaphycus, and is leading the development and refinement of culture technologies for the red seaweeds Asparagopsis taxiformis, Halymenia durvillei, and Phycocalidia species (locally called gamét), as well as the green seaweeds Ulva, towards their conservation and sustainable utilization. As part of his efforts to understand and develop seaweeds of the Philippines, he also established the UP Marine Macroalgal Reference Culture Collection at his home institution, the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPMMARCC) in 2018.

As a leader in the marine and natural history sciences in the Philippines, Dr. Santiañez has been serving in various positions at the Executive Board of the Association of Systematic Biologists of the Philippines, Philippine Phycological Society Inc., and the Philippines Association of Marine Science.

In less than a decade, Dr. Santiañez has changed our current understanding on the taxonomy and classification of economically and ecologically important seaweed taxa across three major ocean basins. He provides foundational knowledge that supports new seaweed-based economies and the discovery of bioactive compounds for applied research, which could bolster future growth of what is already a multimillion peso industry. In connecting the wealth of Philippine seaweed biodiversity with the wealth of the Filipino nation, Dr. Santiañez is proof that natural (history) sciences are the key to unlocking new heights for our archipelagic nation rich with natural resources.

Dr. Wilfred John E. Santiañez is currently an Associate Professor at the Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines Diliman (UPMSI) and the Graduate Program Coordinator under the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of the College of Science, UP Diliman. As part of his extension services, he is also the Founding Curator of the UP Marine Macroalgal Culture Collection (UPMMARCC) and the Curator of the Gregorio T. Velasquez Phycological Herbarium—the largest phycological herbarium in Southeast Asia—at UPMSI.

Padayon, Dr. Santiañez! 🌊✊🏼🌻

03/06/2026

Ikaw, how would you describe your MSI journey with 3 emojis?

Check out this video by the MSI. Please feel free to check out more of their content on their page 🌊🧪👩‍🔬