IN MEMORIAM: Roger Posadas, former UP Diliman chancellor, 72
Dr. Roger Posadas, one of the nation’s preeminent physicists and former chancellor of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, passed away last August 20. He was 72.
Posadas earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from UP Diliman in 1964. He then received his doctorate degree in relativity physics from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, United States in 1970 under a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship.
He served UP Diliman in various capacities over the decades. He was a professor for different UP Diliman academic units, including the College of Science, the Technology Management Center, and the College of Business Administration.
He also handled various administrative roles in the University, most notably as Department Chair of Physics from 1980 to 1992, as dean of the College of Science from 1983 to 1993, and as Chancellor of the entire UP Diliman from 1993 to 1996.
In its official obituary, the University credited Posadas for having “conceptualized and initiated the development of the UP Science Complex, spearheaded the establishment of the College of Science in UP Diliman, and instituted the Philippines’ first PhD Program in Physics.”
“(Posadas) also formulated a 5-year development plan for the Department of Physics that paved the way for its designation by the national government as a national center of excellence renamed as the National Institute of Physics,” the University further noted.
Posadas went on to hold high-ranking positions in other private education institutions including STI Education Services, AMA Education System, and University of the East-Manila. He was nominated last year to be the President for the UP System but was disqualified for being overage.
Apart from his passion for science and technology, Posadas was also actively engaged in socio-political issues. He helped establish two organizations that fused love for the sciences with patriotism: the Samahan ng mga Makabayang Siyentipiko or the Association of Nationalist Scientists as well as the Kilusan ng mga Siyentipikong Pilipino or the Movement of Filipino Scientists.
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