About Us
A UP-wide student organisation for data science, founded in 2020.
- Founded
- 2020
- Members as of Sep 2026
- 168
- Events since 2021
- 30
- PJDSC editions on record
- 6
Where you'd land
A k-nearest-neighbours classifier labels a new point by the points closest to it. Move your pointer over the field: you are the new point, and the three members nearest to you are who we would introduce you to first.
k = 3 nearest neighbours: 1 natural sciences, 1 humanities, 1 health sciences. Welcome.
k = 3 nearest neighbours: 1 natural sciences, 1 humanities, 1 health sciences. Welcome.
- natural sciences
- social sciences
- business
- humanities
- health sciences
Who we are
UP DSSoc is a student organization founded in 2020 in the University of the Philippines System. Our core mission is to provide a safe, inclusive community where students can freely explore Data Science. Through accessible workshops and technical training open to all, we demystify data and break down barriers to entry, whatever your prior experience or field of study.
How we work
We believe that the best data solutions don't happen in isolation. UP DSSoc actively fosters a culture of camaraderie and peer-to-peer collaboration. By bridging different disciplines, we create a collaborative hub where members connect, exchange ideas, and unite their unique skills to launch impactful, real-world projects and initiatives.
Who joins
While our official registration sits in UP Diliman, our heart, community, and impact span system-wide. We actively champion diversity, bringing together insights from the natural sciences, social sciences, business, humanities, health sciences, and beyond.
Milestones
-
UP DSSoc is founded
Registered in UP Diliman, open to students across the UP System. The Facebook page went public on March 5, 2021, calling UP DSSoc the first data science organization in UP, and the first member sign-ups, open to all courses in UP Diliman, ran from March 7 to March 26, 2021. The first Philippine Junior Data Science Challenge follows in April 2021.
-
Philippine Junior Data Science Challenge 2021
The first Philippine Junior Data Science Challenge, an exploratory data analysis competition run with Thinking Machines, was launched on March 24, 2021 and ended with the finals on April 24, 2021. Team EBenneJuLA was named champion.
-
Philippine Junior Data Science Challenge 2022
The second edition, presented with GCash, ran from its announcement on May 6, 2022 to the livestreamed finals on June 18, 2022 as an exploratory data analysis competition on Philippine election data. Team CYX won, ahead of Team Liwanag and Team MalayAnalyst.
-
Philippine Junior Data Science Challenge 2023
The 2023 edition, co-presented with BPI, asked 160 teams to promote financial inclusion through data science. Insigion of Mapua University won at the BPI Data Wave Summit.
-
Philippine Junior Data Science Challenge 2024
The 2024 edition asked teams to apply data science to sustainable urban mobility. UP Cebu's Team CCLEX won with LakbAI.
-
Philippine Junior Data Science Challenge 2025
UP DSSoc's flagship nationwide competition. In 2025, student teams built data science solutions for atmospheric resilience, and Team 2Ls of UP Cebu won the final round at UP Diliman on November 22, 2025.
-
Philippine Junior Data Science Challenge 2026
The 2026 edition turns to public health analytics. Forty teams from across the country build data science solutions for disease surveillance, health risk prediction, and healthcare delivery, with the finals in Quezon City on November 14, 2026.
Committees
- Secretariat
- External Affairs
- Finance
- Branding & Creatives
- Education & Research
- Operations
- Internal Affairs
Officers
Jess Vincent Ybut Executive Director
Artemio Arcega III Deputy Director
Cassandra Grace Paez Executive Secretary
Ajay Cerda Director for Operations
Chleo Colein Arnado Director for Branding & Creatives
Morris Marohomsalic Director for Internal Affairs
Lance Michael Gubat Director for Finance
Stephen James Gonda Director for Education & Research
Quiara Niña Vera Macasa Director for External Affairs
How to join
Applications are open to UP-affiliated students, alumni, and staff from any UP campus. Members get DataCamp seats, internal data analytics workshops, and mentorship sessions. New events and application periods are announced on Facebook first.