Andrian “Adi” Gajigan is a Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellow working with Professor Ian Hewson. He earned his PhD in Oceanography at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and an MS Marine Science and BS Biochemistry at the University of the Philippines. He is a recipient of numerous awards and grants, including a National Geographic Early Career Grant and a US DOE Joint Genome Institute New Investigator Grant. Broadly, he is fascinated by the role of ocean microbiome in planetary health. His work linked molecular and microscale interactions to ocean-scale processes focusing on marine viruses, bacteria, and plankton. He also participated in multiple research expeditions in the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean. Beyond research, he is passionate about democratizing science and community-driven initiatives.