I am an Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Management at the Department of Political Science at the University of the Philippines, where I handle courses in the undergraduate and graduate levels. I teach courses in public policy, policy research and analysis, and research methodology. My research interests fall within the intersections of politics, public policy, governance, sustainability, and innovation. I have served as Undergraduate Program Coordinator of the UP Department of Political Science and also as the Program Convenor at the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS) where I managed the Data Science for Public Policy Program (DSPP).
I was born and raised in Manila, Philippines and I have been with the academe since 1999. I received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of the Philippines-Diliman and a Masters in Management from the University of the Philippines-Manila. I received the degree, Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science from the University of the Philippines-Diliman where my research focused on the processes, dynamics, and policy discourses behind Renewable Energy development in the Philippines.
Apart from the academic degrees, I also underwent postgraduate training overseas where I did further studies and training on Social and Political Science Research Methodology and Text Analytics at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany and Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil, respectively. Prior to my position at the University of the Philippines, I was a member of the faculty of the Asia Pacific Studies Program (APS) of the University of the Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), and the Department of Social Sciences (DSS) at the University of the Philippines-Manila. I was recently awarded the 2019-2021 One U.P. Faculty Grant Award in Political Science (Public Policy) for Outstanding Research and Public Service in the University of the Philippines, Diliman, as well as the UP Diliman Centennial Professorial Chair Award for 2020 because of my research and published work, "Sustainable Energy Policy in Southeast Asia: Domestic Variations and Congruence in Policy Discourses". Recently, I have also been awarded the One U.P. Faculty Grant Award for Political Science (Public Policy) for Outstanding Teaching and Public Service for 2022-2024.
Beyond my academic work, I have also been immersed and contributed to the practice of policy research for government agencies and civil society organizations since 1999. I served as Project & Research Manager of the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability-East Asia and the Pacific (ANSA-EAP) – a regional network of NGOs working with state agencies in promoting governance-centered programs and projects about community-based participatory planning, budgeting, and participatory monitoring and evaluation. Currently, I also serve as trainer, occassional resource person, and consultant at the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute (PSRTI), and the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) of the Department of Agriculture conducting training courses on Policy Development, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Policy Research Methodology for public officials and government managers from National Government Agencies and Local Government Units.