Accelerating S&T in PH through research: High-impact studies led by UP scientists in 2023

Science and technology (S&T) play a vital role in Philippine development, providing innovative solutions to societal challenges faced by Filipinos. In that regard, the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) has been at the forefront of advancing S&T in the Philippines for decades, producing basic and applied scientific research of high standards and national relevance. Year after year, research spearheaded by UPD-CS scientists is published in various journals with high impact factors. The impact factor is a variable measuring a journal’s importance based on the average number of citations of its articles.

UPD-CS scientists continued the college’s long streak of quality research in 2023, with several studies they led becoming internationally recognized and included in some of the world’s most notable, high-impact journals. From examining Philippine tropical cyclones to the risk factors of breast cancer, here are some of UPD-CS’ recent scientific breakthroughs contributing to the country’s socio-economic development.

Analyzing the effects of pioneer colonizing bacteria on plastic breakdown in oceans
Detecting harmful dye pollutants using gold nanomaterials
Discovering the link between stress, altered light-dark cycles, and breast cancer
Investigating quantum spin Hall and Rashba effects in flat ilmenite oxides
Exploring the potential of Cu2O semiconductors paired with plasmonic metals
Assessing the response of severe Philippine tropical cyclones to a warmer climate
Developing a framework for deriving analytic steady states of biochemical reaction networks
Examining bottom simulating reflectors in the Manila Trench forearc and its implications on the presence of gas hydrates in the region
Looking into the hidden diversity and genetic variations in the coral Acropora tenuis and its endosymbionts across the Great Barrier Reef
10. Delving into the possible leafy vegetables’ distinctive biomolecular properties included in prehistoric southern Vietnamese cuisine

By Eunice Jean Patron