Mudjekeewis Dalisay Santos
Born (1971-06-07) June 7, 1971
Baguio City, Philippines
NationalityFilipino
Alma materUniversity of the Philippines Baguio
Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
Scientific career
FieldsFisheries Science, Marine Biology
InstitutionsNational Fisheries Research and Development Institute
National Academy of Science and Technology
University of the Philippines Vanguard Incorporated
Philippine Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Philippine Association of Career Scientists
Outstanding Young Scientists, Inc.
Mudjekeewis Santos during his study in the Laboratory of Genome Science, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology 2002
Santos received the 2019 UPAA Distinguished Alumni Award in Marine Science

Mudjekeewis Dalisay Santos (born June 7, 1971) is a Filipino fisheries scientist and marine biologist at the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI). He was the first Career Scientist to have been conferred the Scientist V rank by the Scientific Career System.[1] In July 2018, he was elected and conferred as an academician member of the National Academy of Science and Technology of the Philippines (NAST-PHL).[2] He is also the president of the Philippine Society in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology since 2022.[3] His fields of interest in fisheries science are genetics, resource assessment, aquatic biodiversity, biotechnology, climate change adaptation, and policy.

A marine fish was named after him in 2015 (Chelidoperca santosi), by two of the world's leading fish taxonomists, Jeffrey Williams and Kent Carpenter.[4] In the same year, an Islet in Zamboanga City was named in his honor, "Mudjie Wise Key Islet," by the people of Barangay Dita, Zamboanga City.[5] Later, he was officially recognized by the City of Zamboanga and by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) as one of the prime movers of the sardine fishing closure in the peninsula that not only benefitted the city but the entire country as well.[6][7]

Early life and education

Santos was born in Baguio City, Philippines. He was the firstborn of Juanario N. Santos and Guadalupe Dalisay, both government employees of the Department of Agriculture. He spent his elementary days at the Basa Air Base Elementary School in Floridablanca, Pampanga and Special Education (SPED) Center in Baguio City. He studied high school at the Chevalier School in Angeles City.[8]

In 1992, he obtained his bachelor's degree in biology from the University of the Philippines (UP) College Baguio. He was also assigned as a Deputy Corps Commander and Cadet Lieutenant Colonel of the university's Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC).[2][8]

He started his government career in 1992 as a commandant of the UP College Baguio High School Citizen. From 1992 to 1995, he was a research assistant at UP College Baguio and UP Diliman. He became an Aquaculturist I of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in 1995 and eventually got promoted to Supervising Aquaculturist of the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) in 2001.[2][8]

He pursued his Master's and Ph.D. degrees in biosciences at the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMSAT), Japan, as a Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) scholar. He graduated with an MS in Aquatic Biosciences and a Ph.D. in Applied Marine Biosciences. After which, he did a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at TUMSAT under Professor Takashi Aoki.[2][8]

He returned to the Philippines in 2009 to resume his research work and official function in NFRDI. This was followed by his conferment as a career scientist under the Scientific Career System (CSC) implemented by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). He was conferred as Scientist I in 2010, Scientist II in 2014, and currently a Scientist IV in 2021.[2][9]

Research and involvements

Santos' research interests are in fisheries science, specifically in the areas of genetics, resource assessment, aquatic biodiversity, biotechnology, climate change adaptation, and policy.[10][11][12] Santos has authored and co-authored over 100 scientific publications.[13]

He co-authored the discovery of new fish species such as the Whitechin surgeonfish, Acanthurus albimento [14] and the Arafura lanternbelly, Acropoma arafurensis.[15] He also helped determine a number of first records of marine species in the Philippines including the Bali sardine, Sardinella lemuru,[16] Tawian sardinella, S. hualiensis,[17] Blacknape Large-Eye Bream, Gymnocranius satoi,[18] Bohol lanternbelly, Acropoma boholensis,[19] Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis,[20] Deranayigala’s beaked whale, Mesoplodon hotaula[21] and Noah’s giant clam, Tridacna noae [22]

Mudjekeewis Santos and team in Mudjie Wise Key Islet, Dita, Zamboanga City, Philippines 2023

He became an academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology last 2018.[2][23]

In 2015, Jeffrey Williams and Kent Carpenter named a marine fish after him in recognition of his contributions to marine scientific research in the country. The Pogi perchlet, Chelidoperca santosi, was discovered in Iloilo's public fish market which was captured in the province of Palawan.[4][24]

An islet in Zamboanga City was named "Mudjie Wise Key Islet" by the people of Barangay Dita, Zamboanga City, in honor of his contributions that improved the well-being of the local fisherfolk.[5][6]

Santos also led The Philippine Journal of Fisheries (TPJF) revival and indexing in 2017 as its Editor-in-Chief.[25] He also serves as an editor of Fisheries Science, a journal of the Japanese Society of Fisheries Science based in Japan[26] and the section editor for Marine and Fishery Sciences of The Philippine Agricultural Scientist, published by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB).[27] He is recognized as one of United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea Pool of Experts under the Asia-Pacific States Region with expertise on fish biology and ecology.[28]

Santos is into science communication via social media to promote his advocacy on fisheries sustainability and marine biodiversity conservation. His verified Facebook page “Doc Mudjie” already has over 11,000 followers as of 2023.

Awards and accomplishments

Santos was conferred as Career Scientist V by the Scientific Career System in November 2023. He is the first-ever Career Scientist in the Philippines to have accomplished this rank.[1]

In 2019, Santos received the University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) Achievement Award for Marine Science last August 24, 2019 in the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City awarded by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association.[29]

A Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award was awarded to Santos during the 2014 Search for Outstanding Public Officials and Employees awarded by the Civil Service Commission and the Office of the President of the Philippines December 15, 2014 in Heroes Hall, Malacañang Palace, Manila.[30][31]

In 2012, he received the "Parangal ng Pangulo bilang Natatanging Syentista sa Larangan ng Agrikultura" (Presidential Award, Outstanding Agricultural Scientist) from the Office of the President of the Philippines and the Gawad Saka Outstanding Agricultural Scientist from the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research on November 13, 2012, in Philippine Rice Research Institute, Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija.[2][32]

Santos was given the Outstanding Young Scientist Award for Applied Marine Biosciences by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) on July 14, 2011, in Manila Hotel, Manila.[31]

References

  1. 1 2 Domingo, Leander C. (2023-11-16). "SCS confers first-ever Career Scientist 5 rank". The Manila Times. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "NAST Members". members.nast.ph. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  3. ↑ "Board of Directors". PSBMB. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  4. 1 2 "Chelidoperca santosi, Pogi perchlet". www.fishbase.se. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  5. 1 2 "Sinesiyensya - MUDJIE WISE KEY ISLET PART 1 (October 19, 2020) | DOSTv - Science for the People". www.dostv.ph. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  6. 1 2 "An Islet in honor of our Scientist II, Dr. Mudjekeewis D. Santos". Genetic Fingerprinting Laboratory Philippines. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  7. ↑ "History Behind the Closed Sardine Fishing in the Zamboanga Peninsula". The Philippine Journal of Fisheries.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "STAC-J's Mudjie Santos: Looking Ahead! | Philippines Today". Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  9. ↑ "Members". scientificcareersystem.nast.ph. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  10. ↑ "ORCID". orcid.org. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  11. ↑ "Mudjekeewis Santos". www.spheres.dost.gov.ph. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  12. ↑ "Mudjekeewis D. Santos". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  13. ↑ "ResearchGate Profile: Mudjekeewis Dalisay Santos".
  14. ↑ "Acanthurus albimento, Whitechin surgeonfish". fishbase.mnhn.fr. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  15. ↑ "Acropoma arafurensis, Arafura lanternbelly". fishbase.mnhn.fr. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  16. ↑ Willette, D. A.; Santos, M. D. (2013). "Correcting widespread misidentifications of the highly abundant and commercially important sardine species Sardinella lemuru , Bleeker, 1853 in the Philippines". Journal of Applied Ichthyology. 29 (4): 881–885. doi:10.1111/jai.12051.
  17. ↑ Willette, D. A.; Santos, M. D.; Aragon, M. A. (2011). "First report of the Taiwan sardinella Sardinella hualiensis (Clupeiformes: Clupeidae) in the Philippines". Journal of Fish Biology. 79 (7): 2087–2094. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2011.03133.x.
  18. ↑ Flores, Nicko Amor; Rey, Jade Tifany; Williams, Jeffrey; Carpenter, Kent; Santos, Mudjekeewis (2021-01-01). "First Record of Blacknape Large-Eye Bream Gymnocranius satoi (Perciformes: Lethrinidae) in the Philippines". Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology. 15 (1). doi:10.26757/pjsb2021a15007.
  19. ↑ Okamoto, Makoto; Williams, Jeffrey T.; Carpenter, Kent E.; Santos, Mudjekeewis D.; Kimura, Seishi (2020-01-01). "Description of a new species of the genus Acropoma (Acropomatidae) from the Arafura Sea with a redescription of Acropoma leobergi Prokofiev 2018 and the first record of Acropoma boholensis Yamanoue and Matsuura 2002 from the South China Sea". Ichthyological Research. 67 (1): 39–49. doi:10.1007/s10228-019-00696-8. ISSN 1616-3915.
  20. ↑ Sarmiento, Katreena P.; Ventolero, Minerva Fatimae H.; Ramiscal, Rafael V.; Dela Cruz, William S.; Santos, Mudjekeewis D. (2016-05-25). "First DNA evidence on the occurrence of Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis in northern Philippine waters". Marine Biodiversity Records. 9 (1): 25. doi:10.1186/s41200-016-0020-y. ISSN 1755-2672.
  21. ↑ Lacsamana, Joanne Krisha M.; Ventolero, Minerva Fatimae H.; Blatchley, Darrell; Santos, Mudjekeewis D. (2015). "First record of a rare beaked whale Mesoplodon hotaula in the Philippines". Marine Biodiversity Records. 8: e77. doi:10.1017/S1755267215000457. ISSN 1755-2672.
  22. ↑ Lizano, Apollo (May 24, 2014). "Updates on the status of giant clams Tridacna spp. and Hippopus hippopus in the Philippines using mitochondrial CO1 and 16S rRNA genes". Philippine Science Letters.
  23. ↑ Malgapu, Hans (2018-07-12). "Santos of Grad. School elected as NAST Academician -". Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  24. ↑ Williams, Jeffrey; Carpenter, Kent (2015). "A new fish species of the subfamily Serraninae (Perciformes, Serranidae) from the Philippines". Zootaxa (published 2015-01-19). 3911 (2): 287–293. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3911.2.10. PMID 25661613.
  25. ↑ "The Philippine Journal of Fisheries". www.nfrdi.da.gov.ph. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  26. ↑ "Fisheries Science". Springer. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  27. ↑ "Editorial Team – The Philippine Agricultural Scientist". Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  28. ↑ "Pool of Experts | Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea". www.un.org. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  29. ↑ Romualdo, Arlyn VCD Palisoc (2019-09-04). "IN PHOTOS: the 2019 UPAA awardees". University of the Philippines. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  30. ↑ "Civil Service Commission Memorandum Circular No. 29 Series of 2014". Civil Service Commission.
  31. 1 2 "SCS Scientist MD Santos Named 2014 Presidential Lingkod Awardee". scientificcareersystem.nast.ph. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  32. ↑ "Two North Luzon rice farmers lead 2012 Gawad Saka winners". rfu07.da.gov.ph. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
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