Profile of Usec Renato U. Solidum Jr.

Dr. Renato U. Solidum, Jr. is a geologist having obtained a BS Geology degree from the University of the Philippines. He finished his M.Sc. in Geological Sciences from the University of Illinois at Chicago and his Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego.

He has worked with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) since 1984 and became its Director in 2003 up to February 2017. He was appointed Undersecretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change (DRR-CC) and assigned as Officer-In-Charge of PHIVOLCS since March 2017. He was appointed Undersecretary for Scientific and Technical Services of DOST in October 2019. He has been designated as a Commissioner for UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines, Department of Foreign Affairs from 2017- up to present.

In recognition of his contributions to disaster risk reduction in the Philippines, Dr. Solidum has been awarded the Presidential Citation for Public Service, the Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award by the Civil Service Commission, the Professional of the Year in the field of Geology by the Professional Regulation Commission, the Excellence Award for Government Service by the Philippine Federation of Professional Associations and the Presidential Career Executive Service Award by the Career Executive Service Board.

As DOST Undersecretary for Scientific and Technical (S&T) Services, Dr. Solidum assists the Department Secretary in the formulation of policies, planning and programming for S&T development. He supervises Service Institutes attached to the Department that provides necessary S&T services such as science education and communication, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, and S&T programs including S&T planning, capability building and S&T human resource development. He spearheads the Department’s disaster risk reduction and climate change related undertakings in local and international setting.