Ronilo Jose D. Flores
Growing up as a young child in Los Baños, the 'Special Nature and Science City of the Philippines", Ronilo has been exposed to the importance of science and nature early on. His passion for learning and research was even further cultivated by getting involved in various researches early in his career.
He contributes to the pioneering efforts in introducing Planetary Health, a new transdisciplinary field and movement, in the academia. Integrating different fields in the study of human-caused disruptions on Earth and their effect on the integrity of the environment and ultimately on human health is key in crafting policies and initiatives to address these issues and achieve sustainable development, agricultural productivity and one health.
He is the leader of the PCAARRD funded project on Emerging Pathogens in the Water and Aquaculture of the 7 Lakes of San Pablo. He is also part of the DOST-funded NICER CAVES program, the UPLB Technical Working Group for Asian Swine Fever and Other Economically Important Diseases and the UP National Zoonosis Center Program.
He is currently working on research projects on microbial ecology and biotechnology towards water quality and food safety, aquaculture productivity, biomarkers for detection of diseases and vaccine platform development. He finished his PhD in Engineering (Advanced Science and Biotechnology) from Osaka University where he studied the N-glycosylation of yeasts belonging to Phylum Basidiomycota, important in understanding their biology and exploring their biotechnological and diagnostic importance.
He is currently a faculty member at the Institute of Biological Sciences of UP Los Baños and an affiliate faculty member of the Faculty of Education in UP Open University. He also serves as a board member/officer of the Philippine Society for Microbiology Inc., the Coalition for Agricultural Modernization of the Philippines and the Philippine Association of Japanese Government Scholars.
He co-hosts a weekly online show at Radyo DZLB Online titled PAK! Para sa Agrikultura at Kalikasan that tackles issues related to the environment and agriculture.
He is the Associate Dean of the UPLB Graduate School, a registered microbiologist of the Philippine Academy for Microbiology and the Microbiology Section Chair of the National Research Council of the Philippines.