De Ungria Maria Corazon A.

Maria Corazon De Ungria obtained her BSc from Macquarie University, Australia, in 1993, and her PhD in microbiology from the University of New South Wales in 1999.On her return home, she was immediately appointed head of the DNA Analysis Laboratory, Natural Sciences Research Institute, University of the Philippines. She has since developed an active laboratory that promotes the development of forensic DNA technology in the Philippines by providing services such as DNA analyses for governmental and private clients for the resolution of criminal cases and private disputes, and by providing continuing education for the judiciary and other legal professionals in the applications of DNA analysis. In particular, she advocates the use of DNA analysis in the prosecution of sexual offenders and to prevent wrongful convictions.In addition to casework, De Ungria is involved in several research projects examining genetic variations among different Philippine populations. For example, in 2003, De Ungria was awarded a TWAS Research Grant to conduct a genetic study of three Philippine populations using Y-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and short tandem repeat markers (STRs) fo