Department of Biochemistry

Owen Pornillos grew up in a small fishing and farming village in Philippines called Nabua, located south of Luzon island and within a 20 mile radius of three volcanoes. He left for Manila after qualifying for attendance at a public boarding school, called the Philippine Science High School. Along with 200 classmates from around the Philippines, Owen was immersed in an advanced science-oriented curriculum, including college-level courses. From this formative experience, Owen says, his career in science was "inevitable." Owen remained in Manila to attend the University of the Philippines, where he initially began as a chemical engineering major, but switched to molecular biology while still in his freshman year. For his undergraduate thesis, Owen independently designed a project focused on isolating a fungal protein with a specific enzymatic activity. As graduation neared, Owen's advisor, Flerida Cariño, suggested that Owen apply to graduate schools. Luly Cruz, a faculty member working jointly at the University of Philippines and with Toto Olivera (U of U Biology), suggested that Owen look into the Biological Chemistry (BC) program at the U.

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Pornillos Website