MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis won the prestigious 2019 William D. Dar Research Leadership Award bestowed by the Philippine Association of Research Managers, Inc. (PHILARM). 

 Dr. Agrupis emerged victorious because of her commendable and vital contributions as an administrator, academician, scientist, and a pioneering bioenergy researcher.

PHILARM is a private, non-stock, non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and enhancement of the role of managers in improving and sustaining productivity in research. Its main office is located at the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources, Research and Development (PCAARRD) in Los Baños, Laguna.

The William D. Dar Research Leadership Award is one way of saluting individuals with excellent performance as research leaders to uplift their roles and to serve as models worthy of emulation.

The university president will receive the award on November 13 at the Grand Astoria Hotel in Zamboanga City in celebration of the 4th International Research, Development and Extension Management Congress, and the 29th National PHILARM Convention which runs from November 12-16.

Nominees for the award should have served as a research leader of research and development (R&D) institutions in various capacity with unquestionable integrity; initiated the advocacy and formulation of an R&D policy, the application of which resulted to significant contribution in the development, advancement, and sustainability of the R&D sector; and head of a scientific or professional organization involved in R&D.

Dr. Agrupis' most significant contribution in R&D is the establishment of the National Bioenergy Research and Innovation Center (NBERIC) in MMSU. 

The NBERIC's impact go beyond the university as it coordinates R&D and extension activities in bioenergy among various government agencies, local government units, community organizations, and industry partners across the country. 

She also leads a dynamic research team for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical work under the Tuklas Lunas Development Center (TLDC) in partnership with the Department of Health, Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) Region I and the Department of Agriculture (DA) for indigenous plants with medicinal and health properties. The TLDC is currently housed at the university’s Crops Research Laboratory building.

Before joining MMSU in 2000, Dr. Agrupis was a science research specialist at the National Tobacco Administration where she pioneered the alternative uses of tobacco as particleboard, pulp, and paper material.  This technology was featured and published in Agriculture Environment and Philippine Star (2001), and in BAR Today (2003).

Before assuming the MMSU presidency, she was designated to various positions in the university in which she accomplished significant milestones.

When she was the director of the Ilocos Norte Science Community (INSC), she expanded the membership of the organization to 14 science-oriented government and private member-agencies in Ilocos Norte. She also intensified resource generation which enabled the community to finance more research projects; and staged the Mobile Science Centrum for elementary and high school students and other interested stakeholders in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. The organization also won the 2nd Best William D. Dar RDE Management Paper from the PHILARM in 2007. 

Under her directorship of the University Manpower Development Program (UMDP), she expanded the UMDP Guidelines and Policies such as the increased benefits for graduate studies and thesis funds, and provision of partial scholarships to personnel enrolled in Saturday classes, which resulted in an increased number of faculty and staff availing of the University Scholarship Program.

As chief of the International Program Office, she was able to strengthen partnership with DOST Balik-Scientist Program and the Philippine-American Educational Foundation (PAEF), which has opened its doors for MMSU to become visible to international visiting professors, and led to more opportunities for institutional linkages and partnership, research innovation opportunities and institutional development.

Moreover, the dynamic activities of the External Affairs and Partnership during her term as director made MMSU a magnet destination of DOST Balik Scientists and visiting Professors that have opened doors for increased number of GIA-funded research projects from various government agencies, including eight international universities.  These linkages gave rise to the MMSU's Clean Air Laboratory, TLDC, Remote Sensing, Bioethanol and Bioprocessing Laboratory, 150L Village-Scale Bioethanol Facility, and Gasifier Facility.

Most of her research papers were also published in refereed journals and scientific proceedings -- 29 as main author and 15 as co-author -- and garnered awards and recognition in local, regional, national, and international research conferences.