He contributed to the pioneering efforts in introducing Planetary Health, a new transdisciplinary field and movement, in the Philippine academia. Integrating different fields in the study of human-caused disruptions on Earth and their effect on the integrity of the environment and ultimately on human health is key in crafting policies and initiatives to address these issues and achieve sustainable development, agricultural productivity and health. He is the project leader of the PCAARRD funded project on Emerging Pathogens in the Water and Aquaculture of the 7 Lakes of San Pablo. He is also part of the DOST-funded NICER CAVES program project on metagenomic analysis of bat gut and guano-associated microbes, and the UP Program for Zoonotic Diseases where he co-leads the Microbial Research Division. He works on research projects in topics concerning microbial ecology, glycobiology, taxonomy, biology and biotechnology of beneficial microbes, pathogens and diseases including antimicrobial resistance, water quality, food safety, aquaculture and agriculture sustainability and productivity, biomarker search for detection of diseases/pathogens of economic and public health importance and glycan studies applications in the AANR sector. He finished his PhD in Engineering (Advanced Science and Biotechnology) from Osaka University where he studied the N-glycosylation of yeasts belonging to Phylum Basidiomycota, important in understanding their biology, taxonomy and exploring their biotechnological and diagnostic importance and as therapeutic targets. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Institute of Biological Sciences of UP Los Baños. He also serves as business manager of the Philippine Society for Microbiology Inc., the PRO of the Coalition for Agricultural Modernization of the Philippines and the President of the Philippine Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Southern Luzon Chapter. He co-hosts a weekly online show at Radyo DZLB Online titled PAK! Para sa Agrikultura at Kalikasan that tackles issues related to the environment and agriculture. He is a registered microbiologist of the Philippine Academy for Microbiology and the Microbiology Section Chair of the National Research Council of the Philippines Biological Sciences Division. He is the Associate Dean and International Relations Officer of the UPLB Graduate School and is involved in internationalization efforts and projects such as the Erasmus + project on Post Micro Credentials in Food Security and Climate Change and the World Bank funded Higher Education Improvement Project. He is also an artist and sports coach and is currently advising the UPLB Choral Ensemble, Harmonya: the UPLB String Ensemble and the UPLB Men’s Volleyball Varsity.