Name:

Crisanto M. Lopez

Home Institution:

Ateneo de Manila University

Host Institution:

University of Washington

Award Name:

U.S. – ASEAN Visiting Scholar Program

Award Year:

2024

Bio / Write-up:

Cris is an Associate Professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, where he serves as the leader of the Ateneo Food Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology Research Group. Currently, he is also the head of the Microbiology Services Laboratory of the Philippine Institute of Pure and Applied Chemistry.

Cris has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Food Science and Technology, and doctoral degree in Microbiology. Lately, he has been engaged in leading a research program that aims to produce low-cost, accessible, and high-quality recombinant enzymes for the detection of pathogens. In addition, he has been doing collaborative research works in the establishment of microbial risk profiles for specific food commodities. He hopes to build his capacity in the surveillance of enteric viruses in food, water, and environment as a visiting scholar at the School of Public Health of the University of Washington. He plans to bring his newly acquired skills to the Philippines and share with the rest of the countries in Southeast Asia to contribute to building a regional capacity in food safety and public health.

Aside from academic work and research, Cris has been actively participating as a member of the national board of directors of the Philippine Society for Microbiology.