#ProudViscan and CME Dean is 2023 NAST Outstanding Young Scientist

Dr. Moises Neil V. Seriño, the Dean of the College of Management and Economics (CME), will soon be conferred the prestigious 2023 Outstanding Young Scientist Award by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST). 

This award is only bestowed to young Filipino scientists (41 years old and below) who have made significant contributions to the field of science and technology. 

The CME Dean currently enjoys the professional rank of Professor III at the VSU Department of Economics (DOE). He is also the concurrent Founding Director of the Visayas Socio-Economic Research and Data Analytics Center (ViSERDAC), which is an emerging research center in VSU that was co-funded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD).

He is in fact the seventh #ProudViscan to receive this most coveted award in the Philippine scientific community with earlier winners who graduated from VSU including retired professor in plant pathology Dr. Ruben M. Gapasin, former VSU Department of Horticulture Head Dr. Antonio A. Acedo, Jr., University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Institute of Crop Science faculty member Dr. Hayde Flandez-Galvez, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Regional Director Dr. Dindo M. Campilan, Department of Agriculture Crop Biotechnology Center (DA-CBC) Founding Director Dr. Roel R. Suralta, and UPLB National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology researcher Rodney H. Perez.

Dr. Seriño will join 8 other winners of the 2023 Search for Outstanding Young Scientists that includes Dr. Nonawin L. Agustin of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Dr. Fulgent P. Coritico from the Central Mindanao University (CMU), Dr. Albert Remus R. Rosana from UPLB, Dr. Ronnie S. Concepcion II and Dr. John Jamir Benzon R. Aruta from the De La Salle University (DLSU), Dr. Ourlad Alzeus G. Tantengco from the University of the Philippines Manila, and Dr. Reinabelle C. Reyes and Dr. Jillian Aira S. Gabo-Ratio both from the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Meanwhile, another #ProudViscan will also be minted as the newest Academician by NAST alongside three other prolific scientists.

Dr. Roel R. Suralta who represents the field of agricultural sciences and currently enjoys the rank of Career Scientist III at the newly established DA Crop Biotech Center was elected as NAST Academician together with Dr. Elmer P. Dadios for manufacturing engineering, Dr. Maria Corazon A. De Ungria for microbiology, and Dr. Gil S. Jacinto who represents the field of marine chemistry. Meanwhile, Dr. Leodevico L. Ilag who represents the field of microbiology and immunology was accorded as a Corresponding Member of NAST.

Dr. Suralta is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Agriculture major in Agricultural Botany at the then Visayas State College of Agriculture (now VSU) in 1994, and the first #ProudViscan to be elected as NAST Academician.

The awarding ceremony will be held in Manila on July 13 during the 45th Annual Scientific Meeting of NAST.

Profile of Dr. Moises Neil V. Seriño

The newest NAST Outstanding Young scientist finished his Bachelor of Science in Statistics from the then Leyte State University in 2005 (now named VSU). He earned his master's degree in International Development Program focusing on Development Economics at the International University of Japan in 2009. 

Dr. Seriño then finished his doctorate in Economics at the University of Göttingen, Germany in 2014 with Prof Stephan Klasen as his supervisor. He was a visiting research fellow at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University in 2019.  

He was also a John Dillon Fellow of the Australian Center for International and Agricultural Research (ACIAR) in 2021 and recently became a recipient of the United States Department of Agriculture Science Exchange Fellow in 2023.

Being minted as the youngest Dean of CME, Dr. Seriño also served as the former Director for Extension and former Head of the Department of Economics at Visayas State University. 

He also served various organizations outside the university. He is an elected Board Member of the Philippine Agriculture and Economic Development Association (PAEDA) in 2021. He is a core member of the Economy and Environment Group Philippines. He is also the national convenor of the Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Community of Practice. 

Recognizing his expertise and dedication to economics education, Dr. Seriño has been appointed as one of the members of the Technical Panel for Economics of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

At VSU, he is teaching research methods, econometrics, and development economics both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. His research interests include development economics, the economics of climate change, agricultural economics, environmental conservation, and sustainable development 

As a researcher, he implemented various research projects funded by local and international partners. He made outstanding contributions in implementing research that is responsive to the needs of society particularly in the fields of development economics and socio-economics. 

His scientific and technical publications have been used as inputs to local policy making gaining the attention of both the academe and the industry to help promote agricultural productivity and sustainable development. 

One notable research that he conducted on valuing the protection services provided by mangroves during the incident of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) has been mentioned in several magazines and newspapers, reaching out to a wider audience. This same study was also featured in the nature section of the Philippines Graphic magazine as this groundbreaking work provided a quantifiable value of the protection services that are provided by mangroves to coastal communities in times of natural disasters. 

He also served as a plenary speaker at international conferences and presented his research works in various international and local academic fora.

Dr. Seriño’s earlier involvement in natural resource valuation provided a policy framework that was subsequently adopted and implemented by a local government in Leyte. In doing so, helped improve and upgrade farmers' skills in production and provided an additional source of livelihood in this remote community. 

His research on household carbon emissions is a pioneering work in estimating the contribution of Filipino households to the alarming concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. 

The literature is abundant with information on household carbon emissions, especially from developed countries but very limited information is available for the Philippines. Hence, his work fills that gap and provides essential information in assessing how carbon-intensive the lifestyle of Filipino households is. 

He has published at least 40 journal publications, 2 books, 4 monographs, 6 investment briefs, and 4 copyrighted materials. He is one of the top 10 highly cited authors among VSU scientists.

He led the crafting of the proposal in establishing the Visayas Socio-Economic Research and Data Analytics Center (ViSERDAC). It was through Dr. Seriño’s pioneering efforts that a research center dedicated to socio-economics and data analytics was put up at the university. 

He also spearheaded capacity-building programs aimed at enhancing and strengthening capacity in socio-economic analysis that can help researchers provide data-driven advice to policymakers. 

He has been invited to various state universities and agencies in the country to provide capacity-building activities related to impact assessment and socio-economics methods. In addition, he has been invited by DOST-PCIEERD and DOST-PCAARRD as a technical expert who will evaluate the merits of research proposals. 

He is also the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Review of Socio-Economics Research and Development Studies (ReSERDS). ReSERDS is a peer-reviewed, open-access, and applied multidisciplinary journal that publishes scientific articles and contemporary research findings of high scholarly merit in socio-economics and development studies in the Philippines.

As a College Dean, Dr. Seriño spearheaded the crafting of the college’s research and extension agenda. He has mentored its faculty and staff to grow professionally and developed curricular programs relevant to the changing economic landscape. 

He has strong networks and linkages with international institutions. Dr. Seriño was able to facilitate the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia, University of New England, Australia, Masaryk University, Czech Republic, and University Passau, Germany. These linkages benefited faculty and students. 

Dr. Seriño is not only active in getting research grants and establishing partnerships but also in community development. During the pandemic, he was involved with an extension project on intensifying vegetable production to augment the anticipated disruptions in the local food supply.

The project was very timely because of the several border closures disrupting the usual supply chain. His team was able to augment vegetable supply and provided their produce to nearby communities. He has worked tirelessly and with utmost dedication in serving the community. 

Recognizing his exemplary performance, Dr. Seriño received recognition from various award-giving bodies. He received best paper awards from the Philippine Economic Society, the Regional Research, Development and Extension Network, Visayas Consortium for Agriculture and Resources Program. 

He was also recognized as one of the Outstanding Teachers during World Teachers Day at the Visayas State University as manifested by his outstanding students’ evaluations. He also received the Outstanding Researcher Award from the Visayas State University in 2022 for his excellent performance in research as evidenced by the numerous projects he conducted which enabled him to publish in high-impact journals. 

Dr. Seriño has initiated several research and extension projects and has brought support from national and international funders. His energy and dynamism provided leverage in pushing for reforms and activities that are beneficial to the university’s stakeholders. Dr. Seriño has undoubtedly delivered outstanding services in instruction, research, extension, and management.

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