Gay Jane Perez

Dr. Gay Jane Perez is a Filipino scientist and the current head of the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA). She was appointed Ad Interim Director General in January 2026, following a four-month stint as Officer-in-Charge and her earlier appointment in 2021 as Deputy Director General for Space Science and Technology.  She is also a Professor at the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology of the University of the Philippines Diliman. 

Prior to her appointment at PhilSA, Dr. Perez contributed to key satellite development initiatives in the Philippines and spearheaded research projects utilizing satellite and remotely sensed data for environmental monitoring, agricultural applications, and climate studies. Since 2015, she has been involved as chief scientist in satellite mission definition and analysis, contributing to the development of the country’s first Earth observation satellite, Diwata-1, its successor Diwata-2, and the ongoing MULA mission.  

Dr. Perez is a recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the NAST Outstanding Young Scientists Award, The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service Award, and the ASEAN-U.S. Science Prize for Women, becoming the first Filipino woman to receive the latter distinction. She was also a postdoctoral fellow at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from 2010 to 2011.