Mycology in the Tropics: Updates on Philippine Fungi

Author Biography

Jonathan Jaime G. Guerrero was a researcher and lecturer at the Department of Biology of Bicol University College of Science. He served as the editor-in-chief of the Bicol University Research and Development Journal and former Director of the Publication and Knowledge Management Division under the Office of the Vice President for Research, Development and Extension. He handled undergraduate courses in mycology, plant pathology and environmental science. He is currently a medical student at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine. Dr. Teresita Dalisay is a tenured professor of the Institute of Weed Science, Entomology and Plant Pathology (IWEP) at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in Mycology and Plant Pathology. She had held administrative functions namely Director, Deputy Director, Division Head of the Crop Protection Cluster, and OIC-College Secretary for few times. She had been a core science Research and Development Leader, a national RD Lead Program of the National Research Center of the Philippines, whose task is to give technical assistance to research or higher education institution in development of a national research center or program. She has been contributory to the formulation of Philippine National Standards for onion, coconut to name a few. Apart from teaching, research and extension activities, she is active as guest editor, evaluator or reviewer of on-going and proposed national research programs and projects, of papers for publication to international and local journals. Her research interests are on biological control of fungal plant pathogens, endophytic fungi, mushroom production, ecological and diversity studies on fungi which earned her publications and being sought after resource speaker on variety of topics. Dr. Marian P. De Leon is the Director of the UPLB Museum of Natural History. She also serves as the University Researcher and Curator of the UPLB MNH Microbial Culture Collection. She pioneered research on exploration of Philippine Caves for pathogenic, novel and potential microorganisms. In 2019, she was conferred as Certified Biosafety Officer (CBO) given by the National Training Center for Biosafety and Biosecurity and the US Department of State Biosecurity Engagement Program. As CBO, she was given an appointment to serve as Biosafety Officer and Scientist Member of the UPLB Institutional Biosafety Committee. Her contributions in Microbiology have been recognized by the Philippine Academy of Microbiology, Inc. and certified her as a Registered Microbiologist. Currently, she is the Chair of the Division 5 – Biological Sciences of the National Research Council of the Philippines and holds several position and active membership in the Philippine Society for Microbiology, Inc., Philippine Network of Microbial Culture Collections, Inc., the Philippine Society for Lactic Acid Bacteria and Mycological Society of the Philippines. Dr. Mark Balendres PhD leads a nationally recognized research group and is the Laboratory Head of the Plant Pathology Laboratory, Institute of Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture and Food Science, University of the Philippines Los Baños. He obtained his PhD in Agricultural Sciences (Plant Pathology) from the University of Tasmania, Australia in 2017. He works across a wide range of economically important crops (and seeds) and a diverse plant pathogen, including bacteria (bacterial wilt of Solanaceae and bacterial stalk rot of corn), protozoa (potato powdery scab), fungi (vegetable and fruit anthracnose and mycotoxigenic fungi) and viruses (banana and vegetable viruses). Research outcomes from his group include the elucidation of the etiology and epidemiology of plant diseases, selection and development of? disease-resistant? crops, development of diagnostics and disease-resistance screening protocols, and development of sustainable disease management strategies. Kin Israel Notarte completed Doctor of Medicine and Master of Science in Microbiology from the University of Santo Tomas. He is currently pursuing PhD in Pathobiology (Microbiology and Infectious Disease) at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. He has published more than thirty technical papers in research areas encompassing microbiology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, public health, and evidence-based medicine. He is a reviewer in several journals, including the Journal of Infection and Public Health, Current Research in Microbial Sciences, and the New England Journal of Medicine. He is a member of the Mycological Society of the Philippines, British Infection Association, and the World Society for Virology. In his spare time, he loves to travel, watch anime, and read fictional books. Thomas Edison E. dela Cruz is a professor of microbiology and a senior faculty researcher and lead of the Fungal Biodiversity, Ecogenomics, and Systematics (FBeS) group at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines. His research focus on the biodiscovery of fungi and myxomycetes and their ecological patterns under changing landscapes. He also conducts research on fungal natural products, ethnomycology, and microbiology education. He has published more than 115 technical papers and supervised undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. dela Cruz advocates for science education. He is the Philippine Representative to the Asian Mycology Committee and a fellow of the Philippine Academy of Microbiology and the Global Young Academy.