Dr. Benjamin Dingel welcomed as new SOSE-ARISE research fellow

Dr. Dingel joins the Loyola Schools community armed with a wealth of experience and expertise as well as many aspirations, not so much for himself, but for the next generation of scientists.

The School of Science and Engineering - Ateneo Research Institute of Science and Engineering (SOSE-ARISE) recently announced the appointment of Dr. Benjamin Dingel as a research fellow.

Dr. Dingel graduated from the BS Physics program at the Ateneo de Manila University back in 1984. Soon after, he pursued his master’s and doctorate degrees in Applied Physics at Osaka University, Japan. 

He is an affiliate professor under the Loyola Schools' Department of Physics and is connected with the Ateneo Innovation Center (AIC). Likewise, he is connected with the City College of New York, and a Scientific Technical Lead for Nasfine Photonics, Inc. (USA).

Dr. Dingel’s research interests lie within the field of optical and photonic engineering, ranging from topics such as optics and photonics, microwave photonics, optical fiber systems and communications, and many others. Additionally, he has dabbled in studies related to artificial intelligence and education.

As a volunteer scientist to AIC, in 2017 he conceptualized and started remotely the Ateneo Research on Optical Science, Engineering, and Systems (ROSES) Lab, a publication-driven model of engaging and mentoring undergraduate and graduate physics students in the Ateneo via online presence, even before the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020.

ROSES Lab was later established as an official research group under Ateneo's Department of Physics in August 2020 and has published a total of 27 research papers.

When asked about his feelings on his appointment as an ARISE research fellow, Dingel expressed outpouring gratitude.

“I’m very thankful because I [was] a product of the financial scholarship of Ateneo. That to me is very, very important,” said Dr. Dingel, “I’ve been doing this simply because of that. I need to repay the goodness that Ateneo gave to me.”

He added that he is also driven to give back to the physics community in the Philippines, especially since he has been away from the Philippines for close to 40 years now.

Dr. Dingel seeks to empower students, including undergraduates, in publishing their own research papers through the Ateneo ROSES Lab.

“I like to see all students, before they graduate, to have one technical publication. I also want to prove that even if you are a BS student, you can publish! Most of the time, only when you are in [your] master’s [degree] do they expect you to publish. I have a strong belief that even a bachelor can publish a good technical paper,” he said.

Through his research fellowship, Dr. Dingel hopes to be of greater service to Ateneo and to students aspiring to pursue further studies in the field of physics.