Cecilia “cel” Alaban | Phillippines

Cel is a Science Research Specialist at the Crops Research Division of the Department of Science and Technology, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (that’s CRD-DOST-PCAARRD for short!) She is currently the Industry Strategic Science and Technology Program Manager for her favourite fruit - Mango and is also the Commodity Specialist for several minor tropical fruits including dragonfruit and tamarind.

Making the most of her natural organisational skills, Cel acts as the Assistant Coordinator of CRD, facilitating the monitoring and evaluation of ongoing ACIAR-funded projects on crops in the Philippines, and other ACIAR-related activities.

Before becoming a Project Manager at DOST-PCAARRD, Cel worked as a Technical Support Staff member.  She assisted in the monitoring and evaluation of the ACIAR-PCAARRD Horticulture Program on Fruits and Vegetables Phase 2 implemented in the Southern Philippines.  Her prior experience also includes roles at a Regional Field Office of the Department of Agriculture and at the Philippine Rice Research Institute.

In 2019, Cecelia completed her Master’s Degree in Horticulture at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) as a scholar under the Accelerated Science and Technology Human Resource Development Program (ASTHRDP) of DOST’s Science Education Institute. Her undergraduate degree Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, wherein she majored in Horticulture, was also obtained at UPLB in 2009.

It's no surprise that Cel is a self-professed #FruitLover. She’s also keen on supporting local #PinoyProducts especially those developed from horticultural crops.