When Dr. Homosexual Jane Perez was a child, she by no means thought that she would develop as much as be a adorned physicist, a postdoctoral fellow on the Nationwide Aeronautics and Area Administration (NASA), a pacesetter within the area financial system, in addition to the director normal of the Philippine Area Company (PhilSA).
“Though a lot, a lot youthful, I did take into consideration being an astronaut. However not so critically, simply in a means that was, ‘Oh! It might be cool to be an astronaut! I need to be an astronaut.’ However what course would you are taking to be an astronaut? There’s no Filipino astronaut,” she shared. “So it’s simply a type of issues that can cross your thoughts however you don’t have a pathway to get it.”
Perez didn’t even attend a science highschool. As a scholar of the Universidad de Santa Isabel in Naga Metropolis, she grew up seeing legal professionals, accountants, and medical doctors at profession gala’s, not scientists. Her faculty additionally centered on creating well-rounded leaders, writers, and public audio system.
Even when she was an energetic scholar chief herself, she felt like these abilities have been her weaknesses, so she gravitated to math as a substitute of phrases. Whereas her mates have been successful extemporaneous talking competitions, she was successful math olympiads.
She selected to main in physics — the science with essentially the most math, she thought then — on the College of the Philippines (UP) Diliman after the Division of Science and Know-how (DOST) supplied a scholarship and incentivized the science course.
However whereas her energy in Science, Know-how, Engineering, and Arithmetic (STEM) gave her an edge amongst her highschool classmates, all her school friends got here from science excessive colleges. She struggled to maintain up after every part she knew about physics was coated within the first week.
To her shock, her perceived weaknesses turned her strengths. Whereas making use of for a prestigious analysis lab in her third yr of faculty, her lecture and presentation on the science behind the animation know-how of Toy Story captured the eye of her viewers.
“Earlier than me, folks have been chatting through the different displays. However after I began giving my speak, all of them began listening, together with the top of the lab, Dr. Caesar Saloma, who ultimately turned my advisor,” she recalled.
“I assume it turned out that they’re not used to listening to any person like me. My weak point after I was in highschool was my energy after I was in school as a result of I’m extra comfy talking in entrance of the category, greater than the remaining. But it surely’s all relative, proper? So, I assumed, in the event that they solely knew my highschool mates!”
That second was transformative, particularly for a struggling Perez, who was simply making an attempt to move her topics.
“They should have seen my potential and determined to guess on me, even when I wasn’t nearly as good as these from the science excessive colleges,” she mentioned. “So after they accepted me, I valued it immensely, particularly since I ended up doing very well on the analysis half. I tremendous loved the act of analysis! Exploring one thing that you just don’t know the place it’ll result in… I discovered it very attention-grabbing and thrilling as a result of day by day is exclusive.”
Mission: Come again residence
It was additionally in school that she discovered the function fashions within the sciences that she didn’t have rising up. One of the influential to her was Saloma, former chancellor of UP Diliman and professor emeritus on the Nationwide Institute of Physics.
“He’s the one that actually expressed ardour for science, and extra importantly, doing science within the Philippines. We had some scientists earlier than within the Philippines who at the moment are celebrated scientists in a foreign country. A couple of selected to remain and proceed to do the science right here, and he’s one among them,” she mentioned.
“However what I realized from him, which influenced me in my profession, is that you are able to do science within the Philippines and you might be most wanted right here. You possibly can create the best affect right here as a result of the science that you just do will assist our society.”
After she was accepted right into a postdoctoral fellowship at NASA Goddard Area Flight Heart, she took along with her these classes from Saloma all the best way to Washington, DC. Even when immersed in a world-class analysis heart with top-of-the-line tools at her disposal and Nobel Prize successful scientists down the corridor from her workplace, she by no means forgot the Philippines.
All through her time in NASA, she discovered herself continually considering, “How I want we now have one thing comparable within the Philippines. I need to carry this to the Philippines.” After only a few months, she couldn’t wait to return residence.
At the moment, many individuals have been awaiting her return residence and relying on her contributions to the nation. She made a parallel about how she felt again then in NASA when Christina Koch of the Artemis II mission turned the primary lady to orbit across the moon.
“Throughout their closing burn to go to the moon, the final assertion [Koch] mentioned was, ‘We select Earth.’ So, for me, it was like I went to NASA on a mission to return again residence,” Perez mentioned.
NASA on Philippine soil
Again within the Philippines, she utilized the analysis she performed and information she gathered in NASA by main the event of the Philippines’ first native microsatellite, Diwata-1, and launched it in 2016. The satellite tv for pc information was used for drought forecasting, agricultural monitoring, and local weather evaluation, focused towards serving farmers and the agricultural sector throughout intense seasons of El Niño.
Perez, though already a adorned scientist at this level, had a dream she nonetheless wished to meet: to have one thing like NASA on Philippine soil.
The following step was a no brainer for the scientist as she ultimately contributed to the institution of the Philippine Area Company. She had first served as officer-in-charge, deputy director normal, and eventually appointed director normal by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. in January 2026.
As a six-year outdated authorities company, PhilSA is younger, new, and thrilling. Perez shared that the company is now 247 personnel robust. Having been concerned in its formation since Day 1, she is aware of that its persons are essentially the most essential in making certain its effectiveness and sustainability.
However with “mind drain” — Filipino scientists selecting emigrate to international locations with higher pay, situations, and analysis alternatives — the problem is to not ask them to remain, however to create an surroundings that makes them need to keep.
“What we’re striving for and we predict is actually crucial is to create the surroundings for them to thrive, to soak up them. As a result of in any other case, the identical narrative of a Filipino who ultimately will search for greener pastures in a foreign country, or will discover extra significant issues to do outdoors, will proceed,” Perez mentioned.
“[They usually think,] ‘What can I do right here? We don’t have the tools, we don’t have the sources, I’m higher off doing my science outdoors, elsewhere.’ So creating that surroundings the place they’ll see that they’ll thrive and excel and do good and do significant and impactful science, that’s nonetheless a piece in progress. Now, in my capability as the top of the company, that’s the place I’m focusing my power.”
The Philippine scientific neighborhood is resourceful and adaptable amid the shortage of funding, tools, and dealing “towards all odds.” However Perez isn’t one to romanticize battle. For her, pursuing a profession in science shouldn’t at all times include so many roadblocks.
The group’s annual Philippine Area Week is a technique they can current to stakeholders and most of the people why it’s value investing and betting on PhilSA and the Philippine scientific neighborhood.
All through the week, they current the breakthroughs they achieved that yr, the folks and partnerships who made all of it doable, and the rising potentialities and alternatives that the area financial system has to supply. In addition they present the issues and points that area know-how and information might help remedy and the methods they are often applied to serve the Filipino folks.
By this occasion, they not solely present what science within the Philippines can obtain, but additionally why scientists within the nation are wanted and price supporting.
Discoveries, adventures
If, rising up, Perez by no means had a scientist communicate at her profession honest, it was a full circle second for her to get invited to be her highschool’s graduation speaker. She has now change into the function mannequin she by no means had in her adolescence. Now, she’s devoted herself to displaying others {that a} profession within the sciences is filled with thrilling discoveries and adventures.
“In addition they used to say that changing into a scientist is sort of a vow of poverty, that you just gained’t get wealthy from the sciences. However I feel that’s not honest,” Perez mentioned. “It’s true within the sense that you just gained’t get wealthy, however it’s not like it’ll make you poor. And whilst you gained’t get wealthy since you don’t get some huge cash, possibly you don’t want that a lot, anyway.”
“I additionally suppose it’s a really respectable and excessive integrity career,” Perez added. “As a result of for one, you disincentivize mendacity. As a result of science, proper? You want information, information. So this can be a career the place you possibly can earn by merely telling the reality. You possibly can sleep soundly at night time.”
To the younger Filipinos who’re contemplating a profession within the sciences, she needs them to know that, “There’s a future for you right here. I’m one among you. Such as you, earlier than, I didn’t see a transparent [career] path within the sciences. However now you possibly can see me.” – Rappler.com
Quotes in Filipino have been translated to English for brevity.
Elise Suarez is a Rappler intern from Puerto Princesa Metropolis and a Humanities scholar of the College of Asia & the Pacific.
