Emil Q. Javier (born September 11, 1940) is a Filipino

plant geneticist A plant geneticist is a scientist involved with the study of genetics in botany. Typical work is done with genes in order to isolate and then develop certain plant traits. Once a certain trait, such as plant height, fruit sweetness, or tolerance to ...

and

agronomist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.), is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the ...

best known for having served as the 17th

President of the University of the Philippines The president of the University of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Pangulo ng'' ''Unibersidad ng Pilipinas'') is the chief administrator and principal executive officer of the University of the Philippines. The president is elected for a single six ...

between 1993 and 1999. He was conferred the rank of

National Scientist of the Philippines The Order of National Scientists of the Philippines, abbreviated as ONS, is the highest award accorded to Filipino scientists by the Philippine government. Members of the order are known as National Scientists ( Filipino: ''Pambansang Alagad ng Ag ...

for contributions in Agriculture in August 2019.

Early life and education

Javier was born in

Santa Cruz, Laguna Santa Cruz, officially the Municipality of Santa Cruz ( tgl, Bayan ng Santa Cruz), is a first class municipality and capital of the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 123,574 people. Santa C ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. He earned his Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Genetics from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

, his master's degree from the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

and bachelor's degree from the

University of the Philippines College of Agriculture A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

(now the University of the Philippines Los Baños).

Career

Javier spearheaded the elevation the UPCA's Division of Plant Breeding into the UPLB Institute of Plant Breeding, which was approved and given funding under Presidential Decree No. 729 in June 1975, with Javier also serving as the Institute's first director. Javier served as a presidential cabinet member and chair of the National Science Development Board. He worked at

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

in the Netherlands as senior research fellow for the International Service for National Agricultural Research and went to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

to direct work on vegetable research and development. After a few years abroad, Javier returned to his country at the request of former President

Fidel V. Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (, ; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military ...

to lead the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 20 ...

as its

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Javier, Emil Q. 1940 births Living people Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni University of Illinois College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences alumni People from Laguna (province) University of the Philippines Los Baños alumni Presidents of universities and colleges in the Philippines Filipino expatriates in the United States National Scientists of the Philippines