Fulbright Foreign Student Program

Grant

PHD in Marine Sciences

Host Institution

University of Georgia

Cristan is a Senior Researcher at the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) and currently serves as Acting Head of its Marine Fisheries Research and Development Center in Guiuan, Eastern Samar. A DOST-SEI scholar, he earned both his bachelor's degree in Biology and master's degree in Environmental Science from the University of the Philippines Tacloban.

Over the years, he has worked on commercially and ecologically important marine species such as milkfish, grouper, blue swimming crab, mangrove crab, spiny lobster, abalone, scallop, and sea cucumber. His work takes him from hatcheries, fish farms, and coastal waters to fishing communities and policy discussions, allowing him to connect science with real problems faced by people and the environment.

As a member of the Philippine Aquatic Red List Committee and the Scientific Advisory Group for the fisheries bureau, he contributes to national efforts on sustainable aquaculture, climate-resilient fisheries, marine mammal protection, and the conservation of Philippine crustaceans. He is equally passionate about bringing newly developed technologies closer to fish farmers, making science more practical, accessible, and useful to coastal communities.