DARYL JOE SANTOS
Observational Astrophysics Research Group
The Observational Astrophysics Research Group is the newest astronomical research group in the Philippines. The group comprises undergraduate and master's students from De La Salle University (DLSU) and undergraduate students from Rizal Technological University (RTU) who are conducting collaborative research. The group focuses on addressing pressing issues in astrophysics through observations with large telescopes worldwide. Our group is multidisciplinary and multi-faceted, thanks to our collaborators from different countries and fields.
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Meet the Group
Team Leader
Daryl Joe Santos
Current Research Topics: AGNs, galaxy evolution, astronomy education
DLSU MS Physics Student
Michael Kent Olohoy
Current Research Topic: Empirical Constraints on the Transition Radius and Tidal Tau of Terrestrial and Gaseous Exoplanets
DLSU MS Physics Student
Jacinth Kaye Liana Fiel
Current Research Topic:
Characterizing Lower Mass Gap Binary Black Holes via Clustering Analysis of LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Gravitational Wave Transient Catalogs
RTU BS Astronomy major in Astrophysics Student
Ryan Andrew Doña
Current Research Topic: Constraining the Metallicity of BL Lac Objects with the SRG/eROSITA All Sky Survey
RTU BS Astronomy major in Astrophysics Student
Rose Ann Cezar
Current Research Topic: Constraining the Metallicity of BL Lac Objects with the SRG/eROSITA All Sky Survey
RTU BS Astronomy major in Astrophysics Student
Vixen Anne Berongoy
Current Research Topic: kNN-based Environment Density Analysis of Little Red Dots in the JWST COSMOS-Web Field
DLSU BS Physics Student
Juan Migelle Ferido
Current Research Topic: Estimating the Hubble Constant from Unlocalized Gravitational Wave Events from LVK Collaboration
DLSU BS Physics Student
Blu Dylen Vergara
Current Research Topic: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Machine Learning Methods in Outlier Detection in Galaxy Spectroscopic Data
DLSU BS Physics Student
Julianne May Ferranco
Current Research Topic: Candidate Site Selection for Establishing Radio Observatories in the Philippines
RTU BS Astronomy major in Astrophysics Student
Jarrell Marcus Fule
Current Research Topic: Fitting the Fuzzy Dark Matter Halo Model in Rotation Curves of High-Redshift Galaxies
RTU BS Astronomy major in Astrophysics Student
Clyde Asthore Bolantes
Current Research Topic: Fitting the Fuzzy Dark Matter Halo Model in Rotation Curves of High-Redshift Galaxies
DLSU-Laguna BS Applied Physics Student
Noah Zachary Zwolfer
Current Research Topic: Thai Robotic Telescope Network (TRTN) Observations of TOI-561 Planetary System
Research Topics
Our research group tackles a range of astrophysics topics, thanks to our extensive global connections.
Supermassive black holes
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Galaxy evolution
Gravitational waves
Machine learning
Fast radio bursts
High-energy astrophysics
Infrared astrophysics
Astronomy education
Milestones, Publications, and Presentations
We are very active in joining local and international conferences to not just share our research to the larger astronomy community but also to connect with fellow astrophysicists.
Aug. 17, 2026
Angel, Daryl's collaborator at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Hsinchu, Taiwan, published his first paper on tracing AGN activity with JWST.
Aug. 3-5, 2026
Cebu City, Philippines
The Observational Astrophysics Research Group attended the 2nd Philippine Space Science and Astronomy Research Conference (PSSARC) held at the University of San Carlos - Talamban Campus, Cebu City, Philippines. Daryl served as the chair of local organizing committee, while Michael, Vixen, and Ryan gave oral presentations about their thesis works.
Jan. 13-15, 2026
Chiayi, Taiwan
Daryl, Michael, Jaz, Ryan, and Vixen attended the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Taiwan Physical Society (TPS2026). Daryl gave a contributed talk while the rest gave poster presentations.
Jan. 8-10, 2026
Jagna, Bohol, Philippines
Daryl, Michael, Jaz, Ryan, Rose, and Vixen attended the 2nd Jagna Space Encounters, themed "From the Ionosphere to the Cosmos". Daryl gave a workshop on observational astrophysics, while the rest presented posters and participated in the workshop. Rose won the Best Workshop Presentation Award!
Nov. 17 - Dec. 5, 2025
Taipei, Taiwan
Michael and Jaz participated in the 47th International School for Young Astronomers organized and sponsored by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), representing Philippines together with two other Filipinos.
Contact Us
Address
Department of Physics, 7/F William Hall, 2401 Taft Ave, Manila 0922, Philippines
Facebook Page
Contact
For DLSU students: daryl(dot)santos(at)dlsu(dot)edu(dot)ph
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For RTU students:
djsantos(at)rtu(dot)edu(dot)ph