Dr. Roy G. Ponce is a two-time alumnus of The University of Melbourne in Australia, where he completed Master of Assessment and Evaluation as a First-Class Honor and Doctor of Education in Evaluation Capacity Building as a recipient of AusAID and Australia Awards scholarships, respectively.

He is a well-known researcher and extensionist who has received international acclaim for his works on biodiversity conservation, education, and evaluation capacity building. He was also instrumental in the successful inscription of Mt. Hamiguitan as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. His expertise as a researcher, technical consultant, and curator propelled the establishment of the Subangan Museum and Mt. Hamiguitan Museum in Davao Oriental. In honor of his notable contributions in advancing biodiversity research, a new weevil species Metapocyrtus poncei was named after him.

As an extensionist, Dr. Ponce co-founded the Happy Fish Kids (HFK), an afterschool care project in underprivileged and underserved communities, which eventually afforded him the prestigious Australian Alumni Excellence Awards in 2017. Today, two other programs, the Happy Forest Kids and Happy Farm Kids, have been institutionalized as an offshoot of the HFK.

He presently serves as the President of the Davao Oriental State University, the only public university in the Province of Davao Oriental. Dr. Ponce is the brainchild and thought-leader in positioning the Davao Oriental State University as a regenerative futures university.