The TWAS Prize for Young Scientist in the Philippines for 2018 is given to Dr. Alonzo Gabriel of University of the Philippines Diliman. His research interests include predictive model building for food quality and safety, hurdle technology, and microbial stress adaptation and its implication to food safety and quality. He is currently exploring the interfaces of food science and nutrition through functional food product development, and investigations on the effects of diet, nutrition, and health status on the human microbiome.
Dr. Gabriel is a Professor 1 and currently the chair of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Home Economics, UP Diliman. He is also a Registered Microbiologist (RMicro) and a Diplomate (DPAM) of the Philippine Academy of Microbiology.
The TWAS Prize for Young Scientist in the Philippines is an award given to an outstanding young Filipino scientist by NAST PHL and The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries. One award each year, consisting of US $2,000 and a plaque, is given in the selected discipline for the year - biology, chemistry, mathematics, or physics. For 2018, the TWAS Prize was given in the field of Biology.
Lecture and awarding ceremony was held last December 3, 2018 at Luxent Hotel, Quezon City.