Nathaniel Punongbayan Candelaria is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman. 

Asst. Prof. Candelaria earned his Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) degree (cum laude) in 2015 at UP Diliman. He also earned his Master of Arts (Political Science) degree in 2022 from the same university, with a thesis entitled “Food Security in the Midst of Climate Change: A Case Study of Cooperation Between the Philippines and the International Rice Research Institute.” 

Asst. Prof. Candelaria’s research interests cover Non-Traditional Security, International Relations, Religion and Politics, and Southeast Asian Politics. Some of his academic works are published in the Philippine Journal of Public Policy: Interdisciplinary Research Perspectives, the Journal of Anime and Manga Studies, and as chapters of the monograph series of the UP CIDS Program on Alternative Development. He also contributed academic essays in FACTS Asia, and the UP sa Halalan websites.

As a member of the faculty, Asst. Prof. Candelaria taught General Education courses such as Social Science 2: Social, Economic, and Political Thought (Soc Sci 2). He also taught undergraduate courses in Political Science such as Southeast Asian Politics (POLSC 131), and Politics and Society (POLSC 121).