Caesar Saloma

For pioneering research and development efforts in optics and photonics in the Philippines, including the training of young Filipino scientists.

Caesar Saloma has a secret: when completing a reference submission, he ranks all his students at the top of the list. He’s worked with so many students over the years in many different roles, and he cannot fathom ranking one above the other. He shares, “Each and every one of them provided me with a unique experience. Not one graduate student is the same…I have to thank them for committing to the greater purpose of improving research performance in the National Institute of Physics.” Caesar believes all his students should be commended, especially considering their leap of faith in staying in the Philippines. Why such a commendation? Without Caesar’s hard work and dedication, it is likely that there wouldn’t be optical research in the Philippines at all.

Caesar grew up on the island of Bohol and was interested in science thanks to his father, who was a mechanical engineer. His high school education was in a seminary, which was typical for the area, but lacked the scientific rigor other students received. When he arrived in Manila to attend the University of the Philippines, he realized that his education was better suited to the BS physics program than the mechanical engineering track. In time, he came to love physics and decided to pursue it for his career. Progressing through his studies, he realized a significant challenge: there was practically no stable research environment in the Philippines, which meant he would need to go abroad for his PhD dissertation research. Luckily, Caesar was able to arrange a scholarship through the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship program, where he would be able to study at Osaka University, where he ultimately discovered optics.

In Osaka, Caesar worked in Shigeo Minami's lab in the Fall of 1987 and worked closely with Satoshi Kawata, who was then an assistant professor. He was assigned a research problem for his dissertation, which he enjoyed, and he also studied how the Japanese researchers followed certain practices in their work. Caesar was inspired to continue with optics when he had to return to the Philippines, a condition of his scholarship. To pursue this field, Caesar would have to establish and develop research opportunities at the National Institute of Physics (NIP).

This is precisely what Caesar dedicated his career to accomplishing as soon as he returned to the Philippines. As he sought to build a program, he proactively diversified his research interests. He shares, “If you look at my research interests, they seemed diverse: from optical microscopy and photonics to signal and information processing to complex system dynamics. I wanted my students to solve different research topics. I was aware that while wanting to minimize the brain drain of Filipino scientific talent on the one hand, in-breeding should also be avoided on the matter of research directions.” Caesar focused on research for a little over a decade before transitioning into more administrative roles to further build the research infrastructure in the Philippines. Not only did he spearhead the establishment of the National Science Complex as Dean of the College of Science, but he also became a Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Diliman from 2011 to 2014.

An essential part of scientific research is science communication to the public and with other scientists, which was another challenge for Caesar. With no established precedents, Filipino researchers were not accustomed to publishing and presenting at conferences in the same way that researchers from other countries were at the time. As the first member of Optica (then the Optical Society) from the Philippines, Caesar could see the benefits of maintaining an international focus and the benefits of publishing and networking. He shares that early on, in the early 1990’s, it was rare to see Filipino scientists even submitting papers to journals: “It was already news if we hear that a professor submitted by postal mail a manuscript that almost got accepted…we wanted to kneel before him for having the courage to have his work be peer-reviewed.” Thanks to Caesar's efforts, things have changed, and NIP researchers now routinely submit and publish papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Caesar’s Optica membership was an influential factor in his ultimate success in growing the research infrastructure in the Philippines. The workings of Optica provided him with a blueprint for properly running a professional society - from efficient collection of membership dues, due recognition of its distinguished members, to the smooth transition of its executives. He adapted these ideas when he became President of the Physics Society of the Philippines. He was also instrumental in forming the NIP of the first Student Chapter of Optica in the Philippines.

Caesar believes that the timing of his election to Fellow seems just about right, though unexpected. He shares, “Becoming an Optica Fellow is a great source of pride for me, my family, and my institution, because I did the work in the Philippines. It will serve as a sort of benchmark for our grad students and young colleagues, that even if you are based in the country, you can still do something worthwhile that will get you recognized by colleagues in other communities.” He will officially retire in July 2025 and has plans to continue working for the continued growth of STEM graduate education in the Philippines. He likes to remind students that scientific research is unlike taking a written exam in the classroom: one unsuccessful experiment would not determine the future of your project as long as you learn from it. What is vital is to keep working hard, to embrace life's serendipities, and to never give up on your dreams. He shares, “I was lucky to work under Professors Minami and Kawata early in my scientific career. At that time, Professor Kawata did not know he would become Optica President one day, but he kept moving forward. Somehow, over the course of my career, I was able to contribute something that has made a positive difference to aspiring young Filipino scientists.”

Photo courtesy of Caesar Saloma

Profile written by Samantha Hornback