Chino Bandonil

Chino is a Research Assistant in Taiwan’s Academia Sinica, with a degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the University of the Philippines Diliman. He is currently working on a project to understand the effect of steroids in the brain, specifically on cell function and organism behavior.

Neuroscience, development, and aging are just some of the major research areas he is interested in. This interest in neuroscience was sparked by the question of memory formation and retention. In his view, this, and other fundamental questions, makes the brain is one of the last unexplored frontiers of biology. “You really don't know what to expect!” he added.

Having experienced both ends of the mentorship spectrum – receiving mentorship from his seniors and helping his less experienced colleagues – he has had a full understanding of how to have and to be a mentor. From both experiences, he was able to take notes on how to guide people more effectively.

As someone who had been the recipient of some of the best public education the Philippines has to offer, being a SIDHI mentor gives him an avenue to give back, emphasizing that “I wouldn’t be where I am without public education.” It’s also an opportunity for him to promote science as a viable career option.

What type of mentor Chino will be? “I will push my students to be the best that they can be,” he says. However, he also stresses that mental health is an important facet of his mentoring. For him, “A neglect of mental health is one of the most insidious aspects of the current research culture, and I am committed to changing that.”

To future young Filipino scientists, Chino has one piece of advice for you, “Don’t be afraid of failing.”