Prof. Dr. Orlando Balderama, SEARCA regional professorial chair grantee for AY 2023–24, is the vice president for Research and Development, Extension, and Training and professor at the College of Engineering at Isabela State University (ISU). For over 30 years, he has integrated academic, research, and consultancy in his career to promote education, knowledge creation, and community development. His SEARCA Regional Professorial Chair Grant recognizes his contribution to the field and inspires his colleagues at ISU and other higher education institutions in the country to pursue excellence in teaching and research.
After graduating from ISU in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering degree, the university immediately hired Prof. Dr. Balderama to teach mathematics and engineering courses. His passion for teaching stemmed from his experience during review classes with his classmates and his part-time job as a math tutor. After some reflection, Prof. Dr. Balderama realized that becoming an educator was the ideal career path for him as his talents can directly and significantly contribute to human development. His passion for teaching further inspired him to pursue graduate education in some of the best universities globally. As a lifelong learner, he obtained his MS from the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand and his PhD and postdoctoral degree in Water Resource Engineering from the University of Tokyo in Japan.
From his journey as an instructor to university professor, Prof. Dr. Balderama has dedicated himself to mentoring the younger generation and leveraging his expertise in research studies and community initiatives. He contributed to ISU's improved ranking at 11th place in engineering research out of 95 universities based on IRIS University Research Rankings Philippines. To accomplish this, he generated a research and development budget of over 103.5 million pesos, published 18 hydrological studies in international-indexed and local journals, and organized national and global forums for large-scale partnerships and linkages. All these are part of the university's plan to transform ISU into a leading institution engaged in science, technology, and innovation (STI).
