Faculty
Maria Mercedes T. Rodrigo, PhD (Head)
I am a professor of the Ateneo de Manila University. I teach in the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science. My areas of specialization are educational technology, intelligent tutoring systems, and affective computing.
In 2011, I established the Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences through a grant from the Department of Science and Technology’s Engineering Research and Development for Technology program.
Jessica O. Sugay (Lecturer)
I am a Lecturer in the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science of the Ateneo de Manila University. I serve as the CS-DGDD Program Coordinator and Class Schedule Coordinator for DISCS.
I am also the Moderator of two student organizations, the Computer Society of the Ateneo, and Laro Loyola.
Walfrido David A. Diy (Lecturer)
I am a lecturer in Ateneo de Manila University’s Department of Information Systems and Computer Science. As someone who grew up playing video games, I am interested in all things game-related, from entertainment to education, digital or otherwise.
Eric Cesar E. Vidal, Jr., PhD (Research Associate)
I received my B.S. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science at Ateneo in 2001 and 2005, respectively, then served as a researcher at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Games Lab from 2009 through 2014, in charge of developing an A.I. planning engine for game applications. Thereafter, I returned to the Philippines to complete my Ph.D. degree, again with Ateneo, which I received in 2020.
My current research interests include Augmented Reality (AR), serious games for education, computer graphics and artificial intelligence. I was the technical lead of the MAGIS (Mobile Augmented-Reality Games for Instructional Support) project, an open-source AR framework that was instrumental in the production of several educational mobile games: The Mind Museum ARventure, Tuklas (Museo Pambata), and the Igpaw series of location-based adventure games. I am presently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, researching future Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VAMR) possibilities.
John Michael Santos (Lecturer)
I’m helping in the development of an engine for augmented reality instructional games. I received my B.S. degree in Computer Science at the Ateneo in 2016. I’m interested in games, anything that involves interactive multimedia, and graphic design.
Jenilyn A. Casano, PhD
I am an assistant professor in the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science of the Ateneo de Manila University. My areas of interest include human-computer interaction, game-based learning, and gamification in education.
Jonathan DL. Casano, MS (Lecturer)
I am a part-time instructor in the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science of the Ateneo de Manila University and a full-time researcher in the Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences. My research practice is centered on Embodied Cognition and Gamification. I also do work on alternative location sensing using Bluetooth Low-Energy Beacons.
Japheth Duane Samaco (Assistant Instructor)
Dan Mark Restoles (Lecturer)
DM is a part-time faculty of the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science. He is also a Developer Associate in Avaloq Inc. in Makati. He graduated in Ateneo with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in 2022, and Bachelor of Science in Digital Game Design and Development in 2023. He worked as a QA on the application For The People and Planet, research assistant for the WHIMC Project, and developer for the VAMR Project. Currently, he is a thesis adviser for BS CS and BS DGDD students and a co-teacher for the Information Management class for junior students.
Jed Laszlo Jocson (Lecturer)
I am a part-time lecturer of the Ateneo de Manila University and a part of the team researching Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VAMR) under Dr. Eric Vidal. I received my B.S. degrees in Computer Science in Computer Science and Digital Game Design and Development in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Jesus Alvaro Pato (Lecturer)
I am a part-time lecturer in Ateneo’s Department of Information Systems and Computer Science, focusing mainly on Digital Game Design and Development (DGDD) subjects. My interests are video games, game design, interactive media, and pretty much anything related to games.
Julie Marie Santos (Lecturer)
I am a part-time thesis advisor for the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science. I graduated from the Digital Game Design and Development program in 2023. I love video and tabletop games, and am interested in their usage as tools for storytelling and for education.
Dominique Manahan
Dominique Manahan is a researcher for the Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences, and was a former Teach for the Philippines teacher fellow assigned to Kamuning Elementary School for two school years. She has been involved in managing education and business-related programs and projects in the corporate, government and academe settings.
Joan Dominique Lee
I am a programmer under the Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VAMR) Project. My work is currently focused on object interactions in VR games. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at ADMU in 2022 and am currently working towards my Master’s degree.
Kenneth King Ko
I am a programmer under the Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VAMR) Project, handling and working on the inventory system subcomponent used in Virtual Reality (VR) games. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from Ateneo in 2022 and currently taking up my Master’s Degree in the same university. I am interested in further exploring VR, especially in its use in games and immersion.
Miguel Zenon Nicanor L. Saavedra, MS (Lecturer)
Zenon has earned his Masters of Science Degree in Computer Science focusing on big data technologies, cloud computing, and distributed systems. He is currently taking his PhD in the Ateneo de Manila University and collaborates heavily with the Nara Institute of Science and Technology Mathematical Informatics laboratory. His projects mainly focus around multi-cloud automated storage tiering systems and building data lakes for a variety of use cases.
Email: msaavedra@ateneo.edu
Joseph Benjamin Ilagan
Joseph Benjamin (Joben) Ilagan is a full-time faculty member and the Program Director of the Information Technology Entrepreneurship Program of the Ateneo de Manila University. He also is an independent digital and data consultant to several companies.
He was Co-Founder of Seer Technologies, a mobile, cloud, and data software services provider to large businesses in the Philippines. He spent 10 years in Oracle Philippines, handling various roles related to Solutions Architecture.
Joben is taking his Ph.D. in Computer Science and has completed all academic units for his MS in Data Science from the Ateneo de Manila University. He graduated from the same university with degrees in MS Computer Science and BS in Management Engineering.
Rose Madjos (Admin Staff)
Francisco Amante (Assistant Instructor)
Jayzon F. Ty
I am currently a part-time instructor in the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science of the Ateneo de Manila University. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Ateneo in 2014, and my Master’s degree in Engineering from the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) in 2018 under the Interactive Media Design (IMD) laboratory. My current research interests include Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VAMR), as well as computer graphics.
Victor “Icon” Ortega
I am a lecturer in Ateneo de Manila University’s Department of Information Systems and Computer Science. I do all things game-related, from playing them to studying them to making them. My work as a research assistant is focused towards the game design of minigames and the game development of virtual and augmented reality apps. I graduated in 2017 with a degree in Computer Science, specialization in interactive multimedia.
