IRRI welcomes Dr. Junel B. Soriano as new Deputy Director General - Philippines Representative

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is delighted to welcome Dr. Junel B. Soriano as its new Deputy Director General – Philippines Representative. A recognized leader in the country’s agriculture sector, Dr. Soriano brings over two decades of experience in advancing science-based solutions for sustainable and resilient agri-food systems.

Before this appointment, Dr. Soriano served as Director IV of the Department of Agriculture–Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR), where he led initiatives to strengthen the Philippine agri-fishery research for development (R4D) agenda and programs. His leadership helped shape national commodity R4D programs towards inclusive and sustainable technology development, utilization, and commercialization. He concurrently held roles as Assistant Director and OIC Director of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), and as Technical Adviser to the Department Senior Undersecretary, contributing to Research and Development (R&D) management policy reforms, and convergence initiatives under the Masagana Rice Industry Development Program.

Dr. Soriano began his career in 1999 as an engineering assistant at the National Irrigation Administration, later transitioning to academia and research as a faculty member and eventually Vice President for Research, Extension, and Training at Bulacan Agricultural State College (BASC). Over the years, he also served as a professor and official at Isabela State University and was a Fulbright Agriculture Scholar at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in the United States.

He also served as a visiting scientist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), another CGIAR center, where he led capacity-building efforts, supported the development of region-specific work plans, and contributed to research on direct dry-seeded rice systems to boost productivity and water-use efficiency in the semi-arid environments. While working at ICRISAT, Dr. Soriano also helped adapt the Bhoochetana approach, which focused on soil health and integrated farming, for the Yamang…