About Dab
I am Ramon David "Dab" Castañeda, born and raised in Iloilo City in Panay Island—part of the Western Visayas region of the Philippines.
A graduate of De La Salle University's (DLSU) Manufacturing Engineering and Management program, I specialized in mechatronics and robotics engineering for the completion of my undergraduate degree. However, I did not stay too long with engineering; I eventually fully shifted careers into communication.
My first job in the field is with the Department of Science and Technology-Technology Application and Promotion Institute (DOST-TAPI) in February 2023. TAPI serves as the marketing arm of DOST. There, I functioned as a communications assistant that led and hosted nation-wide webinars, spoke on behalf of TAPI, wrote press releases, and coordinated with potential grantees of DOST-TAPI's programs.
A month and a half after, I was recruited by and transferred to the DOST-Science Education Institute, this time to fill in a communications specialist role. I worked with the Filipino Patriot Scholars Program (FPSP). It is the program which spearheads the conduct of leadership camps and science festivals to DOST's undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate scholars around the country. My role focused on writing stories, taking photographs, editing videos, and managing our social media page. On top of those, I also served as the content editor of The Patriot Magazine, which highlights scholars's experiences and reflections during our activities. Our invited resource persons also served as contributors to the magazine.
My stint with DOST did not reach a year, as I was accepted as a science communication intern at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Laxenburg, Austria in February 2024. IIASA is a research institute that leads the world in climate research. There, I brought my unique perspectives in telling stories through blogs, photos, and video features about IIASA's initiatives, my worldview as an Asian in Europe, open science, and citizen science. It was a unique opportunity where I got to work closely with researchers from around the globe and learn from what they study. This marked my formal start in the field of science and research communication.
Currently, I serve as a multimedia artist at DLSU's the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation, specifically under the Research Communication and Data Analytics Office. While my function mostly involves preparing visual elements, taking photographs, and crafting collaterals for events such as research conferences, I also manage our social media pages.
One of my life and career goals is to help enable the nurturing of a conducive environment for science and research communication to thrive in my country.
I love food, traveling, dinosaurs, and telling stories.