Erinne Ong - CV

Neuroscientist with a strong background in science communication and project management. Research interests include signal transduction, neurophysiology (synapses and circuits), and cancer (tumor plasticity). Outside the lab, I enjoy engaging in science media, outreach events, and mentorship initiatives.

Education

MSc Neuroscience (2022 – 2024)

University of Göttingen (DE)

• Supported by a stipend from the International Max Planck Research School

Bachelor of Science in Biology (2017 – 2021)

De La Salle University - Manila (PH)

• Top 10% of graduating class with cumulative GPA of 3.787/4.0
• First Dean's List (GPA >3.6) for eight terms

Senior High School Diploma (2012 – 2017)

St. Stephen's High School (PH)

• Batch Salutatorian (2^nd out of 140 students) with final year average of 96.53
• Graduated with High Honors for STEM (grades of science subjects >95)

Work and Extracurricular Experience

Ologist Philippines

Associate Editor & Co-founder, (Oct. 2024 – Present)

• Performs structural editing of longform articles and social media slide decks that cover various scientific advances contextualized within contemporary social issues
• Established SOPs and guidelines for producing public-facing science content and events focused on Filipino researchers and geared towards the Filipino audience
• Spearheaded negotiations for Ologist’s first client project to create digital content for a German biotech startup, securing financing for sustaining organizational operations

Various organizations

Freelance Science Communicator and Consultant, (Apr. 2022 – Present)

• Fulfills an all-in-one role beyond creative production to manage financial and administrative tasks and strengthen client relations with a 60+% repeat commission rate within six months
• Coordinated with seven separate research teams to synthesize their project activities into a cohesive 9000-word report, working under tight deadlines to deliver the draft in a month

GradMAP Philippines

President, (Apr. 2024 – May 2025)

Director for Partnerships, (Apr. 2023 – Apr. 2024)

Volunteer Mentor, (Aug. 2022 – Present)

• Led strategic planning and execution of GradMAP initiatives (mentorship program, grant program, workshops and webinars) to increase Filipinos' access to career opportunities in STEM
• Liaised with external partners to secure over 7,000 EUR for grant program to award 15+ Filipino students with funding for graduate school application-related costs
• Provides one-on-one mentorship and delivers talks about graduate school to support Filipino students in navigating STEM careers

DLSU Advanced Research Institute for Informatics, Computing and Networking

Project Assistant, (Jul. 2021 – Sep. 2022)

• Built and maintained website for DOST-funded project on ‘Diachronic representation and linguistic study of Filipino word senses across social and digital media contexts’
• Planned and produced multimedia content—including features, social media posts, and videos—on natural language processing and network science techniques, and their applications in analyzing social media trends and linguistics

Wildtype Media Group

Freelance Writer and Editor, (Mar. 2022 – Present)

Staff Writer, (Apr. 2021 – Mar 2022)

• Contributes, edits, and steers content direction for client projects and publications including Asian Scientist MagazineandA*STAR Research, from research briefs to infographics to topical deep-dives
• Covers advances in research and innovation across Asia, spanning diverse fields including cancer biology, precision medicine, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, sustainability

National Medical Admission Test Review

Instructor/Tutor (Self-employed), (Dec. 2020 – May 2021)

• Delivered online lectures on biology (physiology, genetics, cell biology, ecology), biochemistry, psychology, sociology, and verbal reasoning
• Built a virtual platform with over 100 sample questions to assess students' learning

Project Insight

Content Manager, (Jul. 2020 – Oct. 2020)

• Coordinated with global experts and created discussion points for webinars on science, social science, business, and humanities topics
• Grew social media presence through publicity materials and partnerships with local and overseas organizations, reaching 23,000+ total engagements

The LaSallian

Editor in Chief/Associate Editor, (Sep. 2019 – Oct. 2020)

Menagerie Staffer, (Jun. 2018 – Aug. 2019)

• Planned publication cycles and edited over 300 articles for release in 11 monthly print issues and online publication, covering science, sports, society and culture
• Streamlined workflows by introducing consolidated trackers for event coverage schedules and article development timelines, including managing the shift to a remote working model during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Steered program development, task delegation, logistical planning, and post-event documentation for 12 events, including workshops, retreats, and a Christmas party
• Led human resource training and improved internal engagement through hosting workshops and consultation sessions, establishing feedback channels, and developing manuals
• Represented the publication for external relations with school organizations and administrators, mainstream Philippine media, and public offices

Research

• Sasmita AO, Ong EC, …, Depp C, Nave K-A. Parental origin of transgene modulates amyloid-β plaque burden in the 5xFAD mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Neuron 113(6), P838-846.E4. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.12.025.
• Sasmita AO, Depp C, Nazarenko T, Sun T, Siems S, Yu X, Boehler C, Ong EC, …, Nave K-A. Oligodendrocytes and neurons contribute to amyloid-β deposition in Alzheimer's disease. Nature Neuroscience 27, 1668-1674. doi: 10.1038/s41593-024-01730-3.
• Labortatory internships during master's program
  • Characterized short-term plasticity and vesicular release properties of barrel cortex synapses (Carter Lab / Synaptic Physiology and Plasticity Group / European Neuroscience Institute)
  • Investigated tau pathology and behavioral impairments in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model (Nave Lab / Neurogenetics Department / Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences)
  • [Conference Poster] Sasmita AO, Ong EC, Nazarenko T, Depp C, Nave K-A. Transgenic inheritance pattern modulates plaque burden in the 5xFAD model of Alzheimer's disease. Encephalon; 2023 Dec 7; Göttingen, DE.
  • [Conference Poster] Sasmita AO, Nazarenko T, Sun T, Yu X, Siems S, Ong EC, …, Depp C, Nave K-A. Oligodendrocytes contribute to Aβ plaque burden primarily derived from excitatory neurons in vivo. European Meeting on Glial Cells in Health and Disease; 2023 Jul 8-11; Berlin, DE.
• Ong EC, Co CJ, Mulingbayan IM. Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of Citrus microcarpa (Calamansi) juice and essential oil on small cell lung carcinoma, acute monocytic leukemia and colon adenocarcinoma cell lines [bachelor's thesis]. 2020.
  • Presented and won second place (out of six finalists) at the Metro Manila Health Research and Development Consortium International Symposium and Annual Scientific Conference – Oral Paper Competition (September 25, 2021)
• Ong EC, Cabansag HB, Sacolles HS. Formative assessments as scaffolds in increasing Mathematics achievement of Grade 11 students. In: Proceedings of the DLSU Research Congress, vol 4; 2016 Mar 7-9; Manila. Manila (PH): De La Salle University.
  ONG et al (2016)_Formative assessments.pdf

Skills

Languages

Further Training

Agile Project Management (2026)

Certificate

Pinktum

Fundamentals of Neuroscience: Neurons and Networks (2021)

Verified Certificate

Harvard University (edX)

Cell Biology: Signaling (2021)

Audited Course

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (edX)

Data Science — COVID Edition (2020)

Short Course

Prof. Jennifer Widom’s Instructional Odyssey (Stanford)

Primary Health Care, Universal Health Care, and a Pandemic (2020)

Certified Training Module

Philippine Council for Health Research and Development

Speaking Engagements

Sci Com for Science Literacy and Social Change

Tik Talks: Communication and Citizenship through Science, DLSU Societas Vitae (April 29, 2022)

• Highlighted the importance of science communication in bridging researchers with the broader community, advancing the local R&D ecosystem, and contributing to social change

Science Communication: From Research to Reaching Out

SkillsQuest: Communicating Your Research, SIDHI Mentorship (May 22, 2022)

• Discussed the fundamentals of communicating research beyond the scientific sphere, the state of science communication in the Philippines, and my career experiences as a science writer