Dr. Shirly C. Serrano earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Science from Kasetsart University in Bangkok, Thailand in 2022. She holds a Master of Science in Environmental Management from Central Luzon State University (CLSU), completed in 2007, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology major in Zoology from the same university, which she attended from 1991 to 1995.

Her research has focused on biodiversity conservation, natural resources management, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. She served as Project Leader for the LCCAP formulation for the Local Government of Rizal and worked as Project Staff for the same project in Guimba. From September 2022 to June 2023, she led the “Monitoring and Evaluation of the Environmental Justice Sector Reform in the Philippines Phase 2,” funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior through Tanggol Kalikasan Inc. She was also involved as Project Staff in a CHED-funded coastal resource management initiative in Zambales in 2018, the PCAARRD-funded MODECERA project from 2015 to 2018, and the biodiversity monitoring of coastal ecosystems in Zambales in early 2017. She contributed to the PhilLiDAR2 project under DOST, focusing on Luzon’s detailed resource assessment from 2014 to 2017. Between 2013 and 2015, she was active in biodiversity IEC efforts and led a biodiversity monitoring project funded by the ADB and DENR. In 2012–2013, she was part of a team that assessed the plant and animal diversity of forest ecosystems in Carranglan, Baler, and Bataan.

She currently serves as Incident Co-Commander of CLSU’s UDRRMC and is the permanent CLSU representative to the Technical Working Group of the DENR-EMB’s Access and Benefit Sharing project. She is a member of the Management Committee of the Institute for Environmental Management–CLSU, Sub-Unit Head of the Research Department at the Institute for Climate Change and Environmental Management, and Technical Assistant at the Regional Integrated Coastal Resources Management Center. Since 2011, she has served as Secretary/Administrative Assistant at ICCEM, and from 2011 to 2015, as Coordinator and Curator of the Biodiversity and Agrobiodiversity Museum. She has chaired the Environmental Conservation Department since November 2011 and was the adviser of the CLSU Green Crusaders from 2011 to 2014.

She has co-authored several peer-reviewed publications in international journals, including the Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism and Silliman Journal, covering topics such as climate change vulnerability in coastal ecosystems, mangrove species diversity, and forest biodiversity in Central Luzon. Her contributions to LiDAR-based land cover classification have also been published by the ISPRS. In addition, she holds 23 copyrighted brochures covering environmental management, biodiversity, and indigenous knowledge.

She is affiliated with numerous professional organizations including the CLSU Alumni Association (Life Member), CLSU Faculty Association Inc., Philippine Association of Marine Sciences, Biodiversity Conservation Society of the Philippines, and the Climate Action and Sustainable Environment Association, where she currently serves as Vice President. She is also involved in academic and research groups such as WASWAC, Asian Intellect, and various national research and education associations.