President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed scientist Dr. Gay Jane Perez as the brand new director general of the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA).
PhilSA introduced Perez’s designation in a Facebook publish on Monday night.
The PhilSA director general holds the rank of a Cabinet secretary and serves as the President’s adviser on house issues.
Prior to this newest appointment, Perez was named as PhilSA officer-in-charge in September 2025. She additionally served as Deputy Director General for Space Science and Technology since 2021.
Before becoming a member of the company, she led the group that developed the Philippines’ first microsatellites, Diwata-1 and Diwata-2, that paved the best way for future developments just like the Multispectral Unit for Land Assessment (MULA) satellite tv for pc.
Perez obtained her doctorate in physics on the University of the Philippines Diliman and completed her postdoctoral analysis on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the place she specialised in distant sensing and satellite tv for pc knowledge purposes.
In 2021, she acquired the National Academy of Science and Technology Outstanding Young Scientist award. She additionally acquired the 2019 The Outstanding Women within the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) Award.
Perez can be the primary Filipino awardee of the ASEAN-US Science Prize for Women.
PhilSA’s new chief was additionally acknowledged for her groundbreaking analysis utilizing satellite tv for pc knowledge to forecast droughts and improve agricultural productiveness.
The Senate honored her contributions by way of Senate Resolution 923 in 2018 that highlighted the world-class achievements of Filipino scientists.
Perez not too long ago represented the Philippines in house initiatives such as the collaborative settlement with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the United Nations Space4Ocean initiative, and the Artemis Accords to advertise the protected, clear, and sustainable civil exploration of the Moon, Mars, and different celestial our bodies. — JMA, GMA Integrated News