J.T. Aganan and K.G.R. Fajilagutan named as UPPI-DRDF Fellows for AY 2026-2027
Jacob T. Aganan and Karol Grant R. Fajilagutan have been awarded prestigious graduate fellowships at the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) for the 2026 cohort.
From left: DRDF Fellow Karol Grant Fajilagutan (MADEM) and JBC Fellow Jacob T. Aganan (MPOPS)
Jacob T. Aganan, a Master of Population Studies (MPOPS) student, has been selected as the John B. Casterline (JBC) Fellow for the 2026 UPPI cohort. Meanwhile, Karol Grant R. Fajilagutan, a Master of Arts in Demography (MADEM) student, has been named the Demographic Research and Development Foundation (DRDF) Fellow starting AY 2026–2027. Both fellowship programs aim to promote the study of demography and population studies in the Philippines by supporting full-time graduate students in the UPPI programs.
As UPPI-DRDF Fellows, they are entitled to free tuition, a monthly stipend, and miscellaneous allowances. To maintain their scholarships, the fellows must excel academically and actively participate in UPPI-DRDF events and activities.
Aganan graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Human Ecology from the University of the Philippines Los Baños. His motivation for studying Population Studies is to explore the intersectionality of lived experiences and its relation to quantifiable data. He also wants to identify opportunities to integrate demographic methodologies and ground truthing into the local development planning process in the Philippines. His research interests include mobility, class analysis, and migration.
Fajilagutan graduated from the University of the Philippines Baguio with a BA in Social Sciences. He pursued the MADEM program to apply modern demographic tools and contextualization to produce social research that focuses on marginalized groups. His research interests include digital data in the social sciences, culture, lived experiences, and post-coloniality.
Congratulations to our new fellows!
Share