Damcelle Cortes

Damcelle Cortes is an Assistant Professor of Development Management at the College of Public Affairs and Development, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). She specializes in public policy, governance, human rights (gender and children’s rights), and justice reform. Her current PhD research investigates the interplay between scientists and judges in science-related litigation, focusing on UPLB’s controversial transgenic eggplant case before the Philippine Supreme Court. She holds a BA (Honours) in Social Science from Ateneo de Manila, a Juris Doctor (Honours) from the University of the Philippines, and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School (Mason Fellow & Fulbright Scholar).

Her research affiliations include roles as Principal Investigator in studies on legal feminism, ASEAN human rights, and Asian development dynamics, as well as Co-investigator in projects analyzing agri-biotechnology legal arguments and lawyers’ engagement with biotechnology. She has authored/co-authored books on food security, gender jurisprudence, and anti-money laundering strategies, alongside opinion pieces and feature articles on gender politics and science communication.

Her work bridges legal frameworks, scientific discourse, and policy implementation, particularly in contentious areas like biotechnology regulation and justice system reforms. Ongoing projects explore court-scientist dynamics and the role of law in mediating science-driven societal debates.