Ateneo de Manila University President Fr Roberto Yap SJ, Vice President for Education Dr Maria Luz C Vilches, and Assistant Vice President for Research, Creative Work, and Innovation Dr Filomeno Aguilar Jr (second, first, and thirteenth from left, respectively) flank the 2026 Outstanding Scholarly Work Awardees at the University Scholarly Work Awards ceremony held at the Areté last May 6.
The 2026 University Scholarly Work Awards (USWA) is an annual celebration of Ateneo de Manila University’s research and creative excellence, made all the more significant by the Awards’ Silver Anniversary.
A new cohort of Outstanding Scholarly Work Awardees (OSWA) across the Ateneo’s nine schools explored a variety of topics, from anti-corruption reform and the future of employment to universal health coverage, migration, education, biotechnology, literature, and even ancient seafaring traditions. Across disciplines, the honorees reflect on a shared commitment to research that extends beyond the confines of the university.
This year also saw the very first University Innovation Awards, which honor Ateneo researchers who have successfully transformed breakthrough ideas into real-world solutions. The inaugural group of honorees paved the way in fields as diverse as nanotechnology, public health systems, and smart machines.
Meanwhile, this year’s Lux in Domino (LID) Honorees brought the University’s mission of service to life by focusing on research grounded in the real situations faced by communities. Their work covers antenatal care in rural health centers, health workforce gaps under universal healthcare, global citizenship education, rice production stagnation, and the links between climate change, religion, and ecological responsibility. United by a strong commitment to addressing deeply rooted societal challenges, the awardees bring the academe and communities closer together, ensuring research becomes more relevantly intertwined with the everyday lives of Filipinos.
Together, these achievements stand as both a celebration of achievement and a reaffirmation of Ateneo de Manila University’s lasting commitment to scholarship for the greater good—or Magis , in the true Atenean tradition.
As the Ateneo continues to grow its role on the world stage, the USWA stands as a testament to how research, creative work, and innovation shape a more just and human future for all.
2026 University Innovation Awards
Dr. Erwin Enriquez : Aqueous Monodisperse Starch-Gold Nanoparticles and Process for Producing the Same
Dr. Proceso L. Fernandez Jr : Audio-Based Method and System for Automatic Identification of a Mosquito Class
Jose Alfredo A. De Vera : Multi-modal Prescriptive Maintenance System and Method
2026 Outstanding Scholarly Work Awards (OSWA) Awardees
Ateneo Graduate School of Business (AGSB) : Anti-Corruption Reforms in the Philippines: Quo Vadis?
Ateneo School of Government (ASOG) : Outlook and Policy Options for Philippine Employment Towards 2040
Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH) : Strengthening Local Health Systems and Governance for Universal Health Coverage: Strengthening Local Health Systems and Governance for Universal Health Coverage: Experiences and Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic Response in Quezon City, Philippines
Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design (GBSEALD) : Philippine English in Migration and Mobility: Beyond Internal Differentiation
John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM) : Comparing gen Z and millennials’ experience in management trainee programs and their impact on employee retention
School of Humanities (SOH) : Ang Bayang Panitikan: Ang Pagtatanghal ng Kabanalan sa Pakil, Laguna
School of Science and Engineering (SOSE) : A low-cost production method for Bst DNA polymerase (large fragment)
Dr. Rosita G. Leong School of Social Sciences (RGLSOSS) : Testing the waters: Plant working and seafaring in Pleistocene Wallacea.
2026 Lux in Domino (LID) Awardees
Bridging Cultural Divides : Enablers and Barriers to the Use of Portable Ultrasound Devices for Antenatal Care in Rural Health Centers in the Philippines.
Bridging Cultural Divides – Special Citation : Understanding rice production stagnation in the Philippines: Regional evidence and development implications
Education Reform and Transformation : From resilience to recalcitrance: lessons from critical global citizenship classrooms in the Philippines.
Integral Ecology – Special Citation : 2024. When climate change changes religion: Toward an ecolonial reading of the Bible in a VUCA World. In: The critic in the world: Essays in honor of Fernando F. Segovia. Edited by Amy Linderman Allen, Francisco Lozada Jr., Yak-hwee Tan. Atlanta, GA: SBL Press, pp. 263-289.
Universal Health and Well-being : Health Workforce Issues and Recommended Practices in the Implementation of Universal Health Coverage in the Philippines: A Qualitative Study.
