Mentoring

Perhaps one of Dr. Monterola's most enduring contributions is the community of scientists, engineers, and data practitioners he has helped shape. Across more than two decades — from the physics laboratories of UP Diliman, to the complex systems research groups of A*STAR Singapore, to the data science programs of the Asian Institute of Management — he has supervised, co-supervised, and mentored hundreds of young scientists at every stage of their formation: undergraduate thesis students, master's researchers, doctoral candidates, post-doctoral fellows, and research engineers.

His mentees have gone on to lead research labs, found companies, hold faculty positions, and occupy senior roles in government and industry. Many have themselves become mentors, multiplying the reach of what began in a physics classroom in Diliman. Dr. Monterola takes this work seriously — not as an obligation of academic life, but as a central part of what it means to do science with purpose.

Ph.D. in Data Science — Asian Institute of Management

  • Sebastian Ibañez, Ph.D.  [LinkedIn]
  • Marissa Pastor-Liponhay, Ph.D.  [LinkedIn]
  • Jino Noel (on-going)  [LinkedIn]
  • Marwell Dalangin (on-going)  [LinkedIn]
  • Gino Borja (on-going)
  • Leodegario Lorenzo II (on-going)
  • Kristine Ann Carandang (on-going)
  • Jasper Meynard Araña(on-going)
  • Ethan Robert Casin(on-going)

Master of Science in Data Science — Supervised Industry Projects

  • Automation of Classroom Dynamics — Jon Colipapa, Adrian Galido, Shehab Ibrahim, Aian Rosales
  • Aboitiz Power — Tristan Alba, Brian Dy, Prince Javier, Jude Teves
  • Security Bank, Corporation — Patricia Manasan, Elisa Nebres Jr., Cindy Saw, Jefferson Tan
  • Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas — Rose Amodia, Mark Orencia, Christian Rick Soriano, Jose Eduardo Sto. Domingo

Post-Docs and Research Engineers — Complex Systems Group (CxSy), IHPC, A*STAR Singapore

  1. Erika Fille Tupas Legara, Ph.D. Physics (University of the Philippines Diliman, 2011)
  2. HU Nan, Ph.D. Computer Science (Nanyang Technological University, 2014)
  3. LING Feng, Ph.D. Physics (Stanford / National University of Singapore, 2014)
  4. Muhamad Azfar Bin Ramli, Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering (National University of Singapore, 2012)
  5. XU Haiyan, Ph.D. Statistics (Shanghai Normal University, China, 2005)
  6. YANG Bo, Ph.D. Physics (Princeton University, 2013)
  7. ZHAO Daxuan, Ph.D. Economics (National University of Singapore, 2013)
  8. Nasri Bin Othman, Computer Science (Nanyang Technological University, 2013)
  9. Vicknesh Selvam, Mathematics (University of California, 2008)
  10. Vasundhara Jayaraman, Computer Science (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)

Graduate Supervision / Co-Supervision, 2012–2017

  1. James Tan Peng, PhD Physics (NTU-SPMS)
  2. Quek Wei Liang, PhD Physics (NTU-SPMS)
  3. Cheryl Abundo, PhD Physics (NTU-SPMS)
  4. Darryl Tay Jiajie, PhD Applied Physics (NTU-SPMS)
  5. Ayana Aspembitova, PhD Applied Physics (NTU-SPMS)

Post-Doc Alumni — CxSy, IHPC, A*STAR Singapore

  1. James Decraene, Ph.D. Complex Systems (Dublin City University, 2009)
  2. Zhu Guimei, Ph.D. Physics (National University of Singapore, 2012)
  3. LI Guoqi, Ph.D. Electrical Engineering (Nanyang Technological University, 2011)

Research Attachment — CxSy, IHPC, A*STAR Singapore

  1. John Pang, Ph.D. Physics (Caltech)
  2. Liu Yun, Ph.D. Physics (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
  3. Ji Wei, Ph.D. Physics (University of California, Berkeley)
  4. Timothy Tay, PhD Civil Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
  5. Aniq Ahsan, PhD Physics (Oxford)
  6. Eduard Ong Yong Xi, PhD Physics (Cornell University)

Former Advisees — University of the Philippines Diliman

Ph.D. in Physics

  1. Rene Batac (2011). Numerical Models and Scaled Experiments on Landslides.
  2. Erika Fille Legara (2011, Most Outstanding PhD Graduate, College of Science, UP Diliman; Edgardo Gomez Awardee for Excellence in Dissertation Research). Implications of the topological properties of networks in the dynamics of marketing, competition and framing analysis.
  3. Anthony Longjas (2011). Experimental Models and Experiments in Granular Systems and Psychophysics.
  4. Marissa Pastor (2011). Random Particle Transport in Granular Matter and Biological Cells: Models and Experimental Designs.
  5. Jesus Felix Valenzuela (2011). Dynamics of Thermally-Induced Convection in the Presence of Suspended Particles.
  6. Ranzivelle Marianne Roxas (2010). Patterns in Classroom Information Propagation and Word Adjacency Networks.
  7. Marko Arciaga (2009). Studies on Other Phases of Matter: Binary Granular Material and Microwave Plasma.
  8. Dranreb Earl Juanico (2007, Most Outstanding PhD Graduate, College of Science, UP Diliman). Self-Organizing Mechanisms of Complex Adaptive Systems under Critical Conditions.

M.S. in Physics

  1. George Allan Esleta (April 2009, Most Outstanding MS, College of Science, UP Diliman). Effect of memory and reinforcement on the propagation and morphology of fracture in a two-dimensional elastic sheet.
  2. Jesus Felix Valenzuela (Oct. 2008). Segregation and Aggregation in Convecting Bidisperse Particle Suspension.
  3. Erika Fille Legara (2008). Dynamics of Networks and its social aspects.
  4. Anthony Longjas (2008). Dynamics of Granular Flow.
  5. Rene Batac (2008). Cellular automata models of natural complex systems.
  6. Marianne Ranzievelle Roxas (2007). Network Analysis: Characterizing Classroom Dynamics and Syntactic Structure.
  7. Ma. Teresa Pulido (2006, Oblation Scholar). Rumor Propagation within Static and Dynamic Networks.
  8. Marissa Pastor (2008). Stability of granular materials in the presence of interstitial matrix.

B.S. in Physics / Applied Physics / Mathematics

  1. John Pang (BS Mathematics, Nanyang Technological University, 2012) [as co-adviser]
  2. Jen-Jen Manuel (BS Applied Physics, 2012, Magna Cum Laude). Segregation and aggregation of agents having allelomimetic tendency in a confined space.
  3. James Christopher Pang (BS Applied Physics, 2011, Magna Cum Laude, Dean's Medallion). Novel implications of biology inspired paradigms to brain research and marketing enterprise.
  4. Cheryl Abundo (BS Applied Physics, 2011, Magna Cum Laude, Dean's Medallion). Searching and characterizing optimal parameters in complex systems: from classification research to social networks.
  5. Antonino Paguirigan (BS Applied Physics, 2011, Magna Cum Laude). Analyzing the stability of granular piles as a result of local and global reinforcements.
  6. Brian James Aggangan (BS Applied Physics, 2010, Magna Cum Laude). Pattern formation and emergence of dynamic equilibrium in source-driven complex Ginzburg-Landau equation.
  7. Alva Presbitero (BS Applied Physics, 2010, Cum Laude). Characterizing the criticality of rule-based dynamics in the collapse of curriculum network and the emergence of cooperation in spatial prisoner's dilemma.
  8. Irene Crisologo (BS Physics, 2010, Cum Laude). Feature Statistics: New Applications in Predictive Analysis, Cognitive Science Research, and Multi-Crack Propagations.
  9. Jeric Tugaff (BS Physics, 2008, Magna Cum Laude). Linear and nonlinear approaches in treatment of real-world data.
  10. Lorcel Ericka Venturina (BS Physics, 2008). Prediction of OPM songs hitness using neural networks.
  11. Grace Bato (BS Physics, 2008). Scaling laws and consumption dynamics in complex adaptive systems.
  12. Josephine Cabatbat (BS Physics, 2008). Readability and comprehensibility of written text using language co-occurrence network.
  13. George Allan Esleta (BS Applied Physics, 2007, Magna Cum Laude, Oblation Scholar, Dean's Medallion). Dynamics of Threaded Systems.
  14. Erika Fille Legara (BS Physics, 2006, Cum Laude). Dynamical Model and Strategies for Network Marketing.
  15. Anthony Longjas (BS Applied Physics, 2006, Cum Laude). Jamming of Mixed and Homogenous Hard Spheres in a Two-Dimensional Hopper.
  16. Dranreb Earl Juanico (Best Thesis in BS Physics, 2002; Magna Cum Laude, Dean's Medallion). Allelomimesis as a Generic Mechanism in Self-Organizing Systems.
  17. Timothy Travers (Best Thesis in BS Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, 2002; Magna Cum Laude, Oblation Scholar). Prediction of Secondary Protein Structure Using Neural Networks.