Origin

I hail from Calamba, Philippines. In this city, rich in history and beauty, I completed my high school and part-seminary education. Afterwards, I went to physics.

Academic Journey

I underwent rigorous scientific training (BS 2015; MS 2017; PhD 2020) at the National Institute of Physics at the University of the Philippines. My academic journey has been featured in various local news; see my favorite picks by FlipScience, ABS-CBN News, and Davao Today.

In college and grad school, I had the privilege of learning under the mentorship of two distinguished physicists, Perry Esguerra and Ian Vega, both of whom greatly influenced my research trajectory. My association with the Gravity Group further enriched my academic pursuits.

Here are some memorable moments captured during my academic journey:

(Physics undergrads enjoying cake)

(Grad students playing with projectiles)

After completing my PhD, I embarked on my first postdoc at the Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica in Taiwan, where I continued my exploration in theoretical cosmology and gravitational physics.

(At ASIoP)

(ASIoP Gravity-Cosmology; center Kin-Wang Ng, right Che-Yu Chen)

Then, I joined the Observational Cosmology Junior Research Group as a postdoc at the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics in Korea. I spent two years in Taiwan and a year and a half (freezing!) in Korea—exploring gravity, cosmology, and astrophysics.

(Seoul Forest with my soulmate; Venus Marie Gaela)

(APCTP Cosmology Fellowship; left-to-right, Lu Yin, Stephen Appleby, Toshali Mitra, Akhil Antony, Motonari Tonegawa)

Now, on my third postdoc, I turn my attention to pulsar timing arrays and gravitational waves at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) in Hannover, Germany to look into physics on scales inaccessible to terrestrial and space-based laser interferometric GW detectors.

Beyond Science

Outside of science, I find joy in playing chess and basketball, trekking through nature’s wonders, and engaging in profound conversations over a drink. My love for cinema extends to favorites such as the gripping masterpiece ‘Whiplash’, the thought-provoking TV series ‘Mr. Robot’ (shoutout to fellow fans!), the timeless sitcom ‘The Office US’, and the captivating anime ‘Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’.