Dr. Franz de Leon is the 'New' DOST-ASTI director
Dr. Franz de Leon is new DOST-ASTI director
Dr. Franz Asunta de Leon, an associate professor from the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute of the University of the Philippines Diliman, was appointed as the new director of the Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI).
Dr. de Leon replaced now Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) Director General Joel Joseph Marciano. He took his oath in front of DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña and DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Dr. Rowena Cristina L. Guevara on 15 April 2021 at the DOST-ASTI Office in Diliman, Quezon City. He will be the ninth director to take the role at the DOST-ASTI.
The new DOST-ASTI director is a graduate of BS Electronics and Communications Engineering and MS in Electrical Engineering in 2003 and 2005, respectively. He earned his PhD in Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom in 2014. During that time, he also served as part of the UP faculty for engineering students. With interests in Digital Signal Processing for Audio and Communications, he was involved in one of the collaborative projects of DOST-ASTI with UPD-EEEI as the project leader for the Development of a Philippine Indigenous Instrument Sounds Database, also known as KATUNOG (KAlipunan ng KaTUtubong TuNOG).
“During these challenging times, there is a need for solutions and applications that will uplift our spirits and help us adjust to the new normal. As the new ASTI Director, I want to make the Filipinos enjoy the benefits of innovative solutions in the field of ICT, Microelectronics and Space Technology. We will continue to work closely with our stakeholders to meet their expectations. We will also continue to invest not only in upgrading the facilities, but more importantly in our human resources to be agile and ready for the next generation technologies”, said Dr. de Leon on his appointment as Director.
He will lead DOST-ASTI which is mandated to spearhead various activities and initiatives such as research and development (R&D) projects in the advanced fields of Information and Communication Technology and Microelectronics and long-term researches to strengthen and modernize science and technology infrastructure.
Some of the notable achievements of the Institute in recent years include the PHL-Microsatellite Program which was responsible for the development and deployment of the country’s two satellites, DIWATA-1 and DIWATA-2, and the establishment of the satellite ground receiving station called the Philippine Earth Data Resource and Observation (PEDRO) Center housed at the DOST-ASTI grounds and another one in Davao City.
“DOST Secretary de la Peña also shared a message to Dr. De Leon after his oath taking ceremony, "I wish to congratulate Dr. Franz Asunta de Leon on his appointment and on his assumption as Director of the DOST-ASTI. The field that has been assigned to ASTI is something that will really transform the Philippines, and so we expect a lot of innovations and transformations that will come out of ASTI. I count on ASTI to contribute not only to new knowledge generation, to new technology generation, but towards the support for more commercial technologies that will boost our initiatives towards being competitive in the region".
Dr. Franz Asunta de Leon was sworn into office on 15 April 2021 as the new director of DOST-ASTI. Together with him during his oath taking were Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña, DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Dr. Rowena Cristina L. Guevara, and other DOST-ASTI officials. This was held at the DOST-ASTI office in Diliman, Quezon City. (Photos from Office of the Secretary)
