The UP Asian Center will be hosting Sanaysayan: The Asian Center Thesis Writeshop on 27 July 2026, 1:00 - 6:00 PM, PHT (GMT+8) at the Seminar Room, Asian Center, UP Diliman. The event is free and open only to UP Students. The deadline for applications is 20 July 2026, 5 PM.
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
Sanaysayan: The Asian Center Thesis Writeshop is a series of writing workshops designed to support Asian Center and other UP students in refining their initial thesis proposals or drafts. The July 27 event is the first writing workshop organized by the Asian Center, in partnership with the East Asian Studies Center, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), and the Asian Center Student Organization (ACSO). The clinic will provide guided feedback and academic mentoring focused on research proposals related but not limited to Filipino migration, mobility, and diaspora. The deadline for applications is 20 July 2026, 5 PM, PHT.
ELIGIBILITY AND GUIDELINES
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- Must be enrolled in a thesis track program at the University of the Philippines
- Must have written a thesis proposal or is currently working on a thesis draft
- Thesis topics should be related to but not limited to 1) Migration, 2) Mobility, 3) Diaspora
- Must be able to submit a copy of his/her proposal or thesis draft for review
- Can participate onsite at the Asian Center
- The deadline for applications is 20 July 2026, 5 PM, PHT.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
ELMA P. LAGUNA, Ph.D.
Professor and Director, UP Population Institute
Dr. Elma Laguna is Professor of Demography at the Population Institute, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines (Diliman). She obtained her doctoral degree in Social Sciences and Economics (Dr.rer.pol.) from the University of Bremen in Germany. She has a Master of Arts in Demography from the UP Population Institute and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Research from the UP College of Mass Communication. She has served as co-investigator for the Longitudinal Cohort Study on the Filipino Child since 2016. Her areas of expertise include youth sexuality, migration and intergenerational relationships, aging and retirement, demographic and health surveys, and quantitative research methods. She is the current Director of the Institute.
JEREMAIAH M. OPINIANO, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Communication and Media Studies, UST
Dr. Jeremaiah M. Opiniano teaches journalism and research methods courses at the University of Santo Tomas (UST). He does mixed methods research in Migration Studies and in Journalism Studies.
ASUNCION FRESNOZA-LOT, Ph.D.
Senior Lecturer, Laboratory of Anthropology of Contemporary Worlds, Université libre de Bruxelles
Asuncion Fresnoza-Flot is an alumna of the Asian Center of the University of the Philippines-Diliman. She earned her PhD in Sociology at the University Paris Diderot-Paris 7 (now part of Université Paris Cité) in France. She is currently a research associate of the Belgian Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.-FNRS) and senior lecturer at the Laboratory of Anthropology of Contemporary Worlds of the Université libre de Bruxelles. For the last seventeen years, she has been working on migration-related issues and phenomena in Europe-Asia social spaces, notably involving the Philippines, Thailand, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Her on-going research projects focus on Belgian-Asian couples and the decision-making process of Asians aspiring to migrate towards or remigrate within the European Union. Her recent works include the edited volume Situated Mixedness. Understanding Migration-Related Intimate Diversity in Belgium (2025).
JOCELYN O. CELERO, Ph.D.
Professor and Assistant to the Dean for External and Cultural Affairs, Asian Center, UP Diliman
Dr. Jocelyn O. CELERO, Ph.D., is a Professor and Assistant to the Dean for External and Cultural Affairs at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines-Diliman. She teaches courses on Japanese society, culture, politics, and economy. She obtained her PhD in International Studies at Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, in 2016. In 2022, she returned to Waseda University as a JASSO Research Fellow. She has published extensively on migration, identity, and transnationality of Filipino migrants and Japanese-Filipinos. Since 2019, she has served as a Research Fellow/Consultant for UP-CIFAL Philippines.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS
This writeshop is organized by the Asian Center, in partnership with the Asian Center Student Organization (ACSO), East Asian Studies Center, and the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB).