DLSU professor wins international Innovation Award

A De La Salle University (DLSU) faculty member won the Hitachi Global Foundation Asia Innovation Award 2025, an international award that recognizes individuals and groups for their outstanding achievements in research and development (R&D) in science and technology.

Dr. Aristotle Ubando, full professor at the Gokongwei College of Engineering, received the Outstanding Innovation Award for his research titled “Thermomechanical Analysis and High Computational Design for Semiconductor and Electronics Packaging Reliability.”

The awarding was held last Jan. 16 via Zoom Webinar, live-streamed from Jakarta, Indonesia.

Dr. Ubando, who also serves as assistant dean for Research and Advanced Studies, tackles in his research the costly, slow experimental methods for product design in the Philippine semiconductor and electronics manufacturing sector, a key export driver.

He noted that the industry is faced with limitations in innovation, adoption of sustainability practices, and the development of a highly skilled engineering workforce. In response to this, he led the establishment of the Thermomechanical Analysis Laboratory (TALa).

Established through government support and in collaboration with semiconductor companies in the country, TALa delivers computational, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) solutions that virtually evaluate electronic packages’ material behavior under thermal and mechanical stress.

This R&D provides a cost-efficient alternative to traditional experimental testing, significantly saving on the cost and time associated with physical prototyping. This enables rapid design optimization, preventing product failures, and ultimately raising the quality of Philippine-made electronic packages. TALa also develops highly skilled engineers, providing valuable R&D career opportunities within the country.

TALa is located at the DLSU Laguna Campus (close proximity with Laguna Technopark, Inc.), which operates as a computational design resource for semiconductor companies.

Dr. Ubando pointed out that TALa contributes to the promotion of UN Sustainable Development Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), significantly enhancing domestic scientific R&D capacity and encouraging innovation in the electronics sector.

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