ir. JB (Jef) Zerrudo, MSc

Jeferson Zerrudo (born 28 October 1985 in Cotabato City, Philippines) is a Filipino agrometeorologist and Weather Specialist at the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA). He is currently pursuing his PhD at Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands, focusing on greenhouse gas emissions in rice-based systems, irrigation management, climate extremes, tropical cyclone risk analysis, and the application of geospatial modeling for disaster resilience.

Zerrudo has worked in operational meteorology and applied climate science at DOST-PAGASA, where he has contributed to storm surge model validation studies, participated in typhoon fieldwork with the Storm Chasers Team, and supported training courses in agrometeorology and hydrometeorology. He has also been involved in science communication activities, including serving as an exhibit briefer at science and technology events in the Philippines.

He completed his MSc in Agrometeorology at the University of the Philippines Los Baños as an ADB-JSP scholar and worked as a research fellow at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), where he contributed to the development of the SECTOR GHG calculator and participated in methane emission studies in paddy rice systems. His undergraduate degree in Physics Education was obtained from the Philippine Normal University, where he graduated cum laude under the DOST-SEI scholarship program.

Zerrudo has authored and co-authored peer-reviewed publications on storm surge inundation modeling, dispersive wave modeling for coastal flooding, and greenhouse gas accounting in croplands. His research aims to integrate atmospheric science, environmental monitoring, machine learning, AI, and climate-smart agriculture approaches to better understand climate variability and support disaster preparedness efforts in Southeast Asia.