by Jaclyn S. Escaño
Dr. Fabian M. Dayrit has been teaching college chemistry in the Ateneo de Manila University since 1983. He has been the director of the National Chemistry Instrumentation Center (NCIC), which houses the first high field Fourier transform-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer and high resolution Mass Spectrometer (MS) in the country, since 1994. He was the Dean of the School of Science and Engineering, having served from 2000 to 2011. He was also the founder and first director of the Environmental Science Program, which started in 1992 and later elevated to a department in 1998.
Currently, he is the president of the Integrated Chemists of the Philippines (ICP). A post that that he has held since 1995. The ICP is the accredited professional organization of the Chemistry profession under the Professional Regulation Commission. He has been the chair for the Technical Panel for Nanotechnology of the Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research & Development of Department of Science & Technology since 2009, a consultant on Confirmatory Drug Testing using Mass Spectrometry for the Department of Health (DOH) since 2008, chair of the steering committee for the Science Education Graduate Scholarships for the Commission on Higher Education since 2007, a member of the Board of Trustees for the Philippine Institute for Alternative Health Care (PITAHC) for DOH since 2006 and a member of the Editorial Board of the Philippine Journal of Science since 2005. He was the project leader of the DOST Roadmap for Nanotechnology Development in the Philippines, which identified the priority areas for the development of nanotechnology R&D in the country. He is also a member of various scientific and professional societies which include the Philippine-American Association of Science and Engineering (PAASE), Natural Products Society of the Philippines (NPSP), National Research Council of the Philippines and the American Chemical Society.
Dr. Dayrit’s research interests include coconut research and development, chemistry of biologically-active natural products, NMR and MS instrumentation and environmental science. His scientific works have resulted in various publications in ISI-listed and non-ISI listed journals and academic awards. In 2010, he received the “Award of Excellence in Science & Engineering” from the Philippine Development Foundation USA during the Philippine Development Forum. He was elected Academician to the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) in 2009. He and Dr. Marissa Noel received an “Award for Best Paper” for their work entitled, “Triterpenes in the Callus Culture of Vitex negundo L.” from NAST in 2007.
Dr. Dayrit has always been a true-blue Atenean, having studied there since grade school up to college. In 1975, he graduated cum laude from the Ateneo de Manila University with a degree in BS Chemistry. He then received his M.A. and PhD degrees in Chemistry from Princeton University in 1978 and 1981, respectively.
He is married to Ma. Corazon Baytion and they have two children, Enzo and Felicia. Dr. Dayrit’s hobbies include photography, cycling and swimming.