Meet Shangrilla Seposo, IMAQUA’s PhD candidate under the Baekeland mandate, awarded by VLAIO (Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship). She is embarking on her research journey with the IMAQUA/Ghent University project titled “Establishment of Innovative Immunological Techniques to Support Commercial Shrimp Health Product Development.” This project seeks to develop standardized reference values of the key immune parameters in shrimp, providing essential baseline data for more effective health product screening models.
Shangrilla earned her Bachelor’s degree in Fisheries from the University of the Philippines Visayas. She has extensive experience working with various research institutions in the Philippines, focusing on aquaculture and fisheries, including the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC). Driven by her passion and commitment to advancing the aquaculture industry, Shangrilla pursued a Master’s degree in Aquaculture at Ghent University in Belgium, supported by the VLIR-UOS scholarship.
Her dedication towards research is evidenced by receiving INVE award for her master’s thesis related to aquaculture sustainability which focused on exploring collagen and alginate from fish skin and seaweed as potential blue materials for wound dressing. Her journey with IMAQUA began as a part-time student, where she has since transitioned into a full-time role as an Animal Research Technician.
