Victoria May P. Mendoza, Dr. rer. nat.

Research interests: mathematical modeling, optimization, machine learning, parameter estimation, epidemiological models

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Vicki is a professor at the Institute of Mathematics, University of the Philippines Diliman. She obtained her MS in Applied Mathematics from UP Diliman in 2011 and her Doctor of Natural Sciences (Mathematics) from the University of Graz, Austria in 2016.

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Her research centers on the development and analysis of mathematical models for epidemiological, physiological, and ecological systems. She integrates techniques from dynamical systems, data-driven modeling and machine learning, statistical inference, and optimization to study disease transmission dynamics, physiological and biophysical processes in health and disease, and ecosystem processes, with applications to public health, environmental systems, and related biological phenomena.

Aurelio de los Reyes V, Dr. rer. nat.

Research interests: infectious disease modeling, mathematical physiology, applications of optimal control theory, data-driven modeling

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Aurelio is a professor at the Institute of Mathematics, UP Diliman. He completed his Dr. rer. nat. degree at Karl-Franzens Universität Graz, Austria, under the guidance of Prof. Em. Franz Kappel. Following that, he pursued postdoctoral training at several institutions such as the Renal Research Institute in New York, Konkuk University in South Korea, the University of Zurich, and the Biozentrum in Switzerland. He also held a position as a senior researcher at the Biomedical Mathematics group within the Institute for Basic Science in Daejeon, South Korea. His research encompasses a wide range of interests, including modeling biological systems at various scales, from molecular to population levels. He applies optimal control theory and chemical reaction network theory to investigate these systems. Notably, his modeling efforts encompass studying the dynamics of the cardiovascular-respiratory system, developing intervention measures to combat infectious diseases like tuberculosis (TB) and HIV, and devising therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment.  He pioneered the inaugural International Workshop on Mathematical Biology (IWOMB 2018) in Cebu, bringing together local and international researchers and students. This event laid the foundation for establishing the Philippine Society for Mathematical Biology (PSMB) in 2024, where he serves as the founding president.

Carlene Perpetua Pilar-Arceo, Ph.D.

Research interests: chemical reaction network theory, infectious diseases, nature-inspired optimization

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Cayen obtained her BS Mathematics, MS Applied Mathematics, and PhD Mathematics degrees from the University of the Philippines Diliman. For her MS Applied Mathematics degree, she majored in Operations Research. Her PhD dissertation was on Partial Differential Equations, research for which was done under a Monbusho scholarship at Waseda University. Cayen has been recognized twice as an outstanding teacher,  Gawad Tsanselor Natatanging Guro 1993 and 2004, and a publication she co-authored, Chemical Reaction Networks: Filipino contributions to their theory and its applications, was recognized as a 2020 NAST Outstanding Scientific Paper. She is very active in the teaching and promotion of GE Mathematics and has several projects and publications in Mathematical Biology, Mathematical Modeling, and Optimization. She is also involved in teacher training locally and in the ASEAN region.
 
Cayen is currently the director of the Office of International Linkages Diliman, Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs, University of the Philippines Diliman. She served as the director of the Institute of Mathematics in 2018-2021.

Polly W. Sy, Ph.D.

Research interests: differential equations, dynamical systems, mathematical biology

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Polly is a professor emeritus at the Institute of Mathematics, University of the Philippines Diliman. She earned her B.S. Mathematics (1974), M.S. Mathematics (1977), and Ph.D. in Mathematical Sciences (1982) from UP Diliman, and later obtained a Doctor of Science (Mathematics) from Nagoya University in 1992.

A prominent leader in the Philippine mathematical community, Polly served as the Chair of the Department of Mathematics for two terms (1994–1996 and 1999–2002) and was the President of the Southeast Asia Mathematical Society from 1998 to 1999. Throughout her career, she has mentored numerous distinguished faculty members and researchers, contributing significantly to the development of mathematics education in the country.

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Her extensive body of work includes over 30 papers in refereed journals and numerous international conference presentations. In recognition of her scientific contributions, she was named an Outstanding Young Scientist by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) in 1988 and received the NAST-TWAS Science Prize in Mathematics in 1992. She is also a recipient of the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) Achievement Award and the UP Diliman Gawad Chanselor.

Gervy Marie Angeles, Dr. rer. nat.

Research interests: dynamical systems, PDE models for biological applications, mathematical modelling of cell cytoskeleton dynamics

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Gervy is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Mathematics, University of the Philippines Diliman. She obtained her BS Mathematics (cum laude) and MS Mathematics degrees from the University of the Philippines Baguio in 2014 and 2018, respectively, specializing in linear hyperbolic systems of partial differential equations for her master's thesis.

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She earned her doctoral degree (Dr. rer. nat.) in Mathematics in 2023 from the University of Vienna, Austria, where she was supported by the OeAD Ernst Mach Grant - ASEA-UNINET. Her dissertation focused on the mathematical modeling of cell motility, specifically using short filament approximations to lamellipodium dynamics. This work involves developing simplified mathematical models to describe how protein "skeletons" at the leading edge of a cell grow and push, allowing the cell to crawl and move.

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Her research continues to explore the intersection of partial differential equations and biology, with a focus on cell dynamics and the stability of coupled systems.

Brenda Lyn A. Gavina, Ph.D.

Research interests: reproductive physiology, optimal control theory

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Brenda is an assistant professor at the Institute of Mathematics, UP Diliman. She obtained her PhD there, with part of her dissertation research conducted at Roskilde University, Denmark, and completed postdoctoral training at the Institute for Basic Science in South Korea. Her research focuses on mathematical modeling of the reproductive system, including the determination of optimal dosing strategies for exogenous hormones to improve their efficacy and safety in regulating menstrual cycle dynamics. This work has applications in contraception, reproductive disorder management, and fertility enhancement.

Bryan Hernandez, Ph.D.

Research interests: chemical reaction network theory, systems biology, dynamical systems

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Bryan Hernandez is an assistant professor at the Institute of Mathematics, University of the Philippines Diliman. He currently serves as an associate editor for the journal Mathematics in Medical and Life Sciences and is a board member of the Philippine Society for Mathematical Biology (PSMB). In recognition of his academic achievements, he was the sole recipient of the Mathematical Society of the Philippines’ 2021 Outstanding PhD Graduate Award and one of the recipients of the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award from the Institute of Mathematical Sciences at the University of the Philippines Los Baños. He specializes in the theory and methods for chemical reaction networks, applying his expertise to computational biology and biochemistry. His earlier research includes the development of a multistationarity algorithm for power-law systems, a critical tool for identifying multiple positive steady states and analyzing the long-term behaviors of complex biological and chemical systems. He also focuses on network decomposition and transformation techniques, employing a divide-and-conquer strategy to simplify computations. This approach makes smaller networks more manageable and facilitates the computation of analytic forms of positive steady states. His contributions have led to the creation of computational packages that are helpful for applied mathematicians and scientists. These tools have been utilized both locally and internationally to analyze various biochemical models. Notable applications include comparing insulin signaling pathways in healthy cells versus those with type 2 diabetes, investigating the structural and kinetic properties of Wnt signaling, examining the regulation of cholesterol concentration in the human retina, and modeling the Earth’s carbon cycle.