Ateneo fetes decades of research excellence with 2026 University Scholarly Work Awards
In the Photo. Ateneo de Manila University President Fr Roberto Yap SJ, Vice President for Education Dr Maria Luz C Vilches, and Assistant Vice President for Research, Creative Work, and Innovation Dr Filomeno Aguilar Jr (center) are flanked by (L-R) Ateneo School of Government Dean Dr Jennifer Oreta, School of Science and Engineering Dean Dr Raphael Guerrero, John Gokongwei School of Management Dean Dr Roberto Martin Galang, Rosita G. Leong School of Social Sciences Dean Dr Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu, School of Humanities Dean Dr Patricia Lambino, and Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design Acting Dean Dr Maria Isabel Martin at the 2026 University Scholarly Work Awards. PHOTO: Rafa Lopez, OAVP-RCWI
The Ateneo de Manila University marked the silver anniversary of its University Scholarly Work Awards (USWA) in 2026, celebrating 25 years of scholarly excellence while reaffirming its stature as the Philippines’ leading university in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) rankings.
Since joining the (THE) World University Rankings in 2022, Ateneo has consistently led Philippine higher education institutions. In the 2026 edition, the University placed in the 1001–1200 bracket of the THE World University Rankings and in the 501–600 bracket of the Asia University Rankings, sustaining its position at the forefront of Philippine higher education.
The 2026 USWA reaffirms this standing, celebrating 584 publications across all categories, with 238 student and research assistant awardees and 271 faculty and other researcher awardees. These figures underscore Ateneo’s broad and dynamic research culture, increasingly visible beyond the University.
The awards highlighted a new cohort of Outstanding Scholarly Work Awardees from Ateneo’s nine schools, spanning a diverse range of real-world concerns, including anti-corruption reform, employment, universal health coverage, migration, education, biotechnology, literature, and even ancient seafaring traditions. Across disciplines, the honorees reflect a shared commitment to scholarship that does not remain confined to the campus but speaks to public problems and real-world needs.
This year also marked the launch of the University Innovation Awards, recognizing Ateneo researchers who have translated breakthrough ideas into practical solutions. The inaugural awardees represent fields such as nanotechnology, public health systems, and smart machines, underscoring the University’s growing capacity to turn research into impact.
Meanwhile, the Lux in Domino Honorees embody Ateneo’s mission of service through community-grounded research on rural antenatal care, health workforce gaps under universal healthcare, global citizenship education, rice production stagnation, and the links among climate change, religion, and ecological responsibility.
As Ateneo continues to build its global academic profile, the USWA stands as one of the clearest measures of the scholarly work behind that recognition. Now in its twenty-fifth year, the awards affirm that Ateneo’s place in the rankings is anchored not only in institutional reputation but in the sustained labor of researchers, scholars, artists, innovators, students, and mentors working in the service of knowledge and the common good. #
