In 2004 Saloma received the from the International Commission for Optics in recognition of his significant contributions in the field of optics that were accomplished under comparatively unfavorable conditions. He is the first scientist from an ASEAN member country to receive the Galileo Award. In 2006, the UP Board of Regents appointed him along with two others, to the highest rank of Scientist III in the UP Scientific Productivity System which was first implemented in the said year. His three-year appointment was renewed in 2009, 2012 and 2015, respectively. He is the only UP faculty member who has been appointed to the rank of Scientist III for four consecutive terms. In 2008, he received the triennial ASEAN Outstanding Scientist and Technologist Award from the during the 8th ASEAN Science and Technology Week in Manila, Philippines. Saloma was recognized for his contributions to photonics and signal processing that were accomplished with colleagues and students at the National Institute of Physics. Saloma led the development of a method to generate high-contrast images of semiconductor sites via one photonoptical beam-induced current imaging and confocalreflectance microscopy. The project received a US patent on 26 June 2007. He has published more than 100 papers in leading photonics, applied physics and multidisciplinary journals in the US and Europe. His efforts resulted in the development of novel and cost-effective / non-invasive method techniques in opticalsignal recovery, retrieval and identifying microscopic defects in integrated circuits enabling the accurate identification of circuit defects by producing a high-contrast image map that distinguishes semiconductor, metal and dielectric sites from each other. The pioneering work of his team on the use of the hydrogen Raman shifter as a light source for two-color two-photon excitation microscopy was also awarded a US patent on 24 July 2012. His fields of interest include confocal laser scanning microscopy, interferometry, signal and image processing, neural networks, and complex adaptive systems. Aside from developing new optical microscopy techniques, Saloma is also engaged in the development of efficient models for describing the dynamics of real-world systems that involve a large number of interacting agents. Saloma was elected to the National Academy of Science and Technology in July 2005. The NAST is the highest recognition body of the Philippine government on science and technology. It provides advise to the Philippine President and the Cabinet on matters related to science and technology He is a recipient of other awards and recognition including the NAST Outstanding Young Scientist in 1992, the NAST-Third World Academy of Science Prize in Physics in 1997, and the Gawad Chanselor para sa Natatanging Guro in 2006 and several Gawad Chanselor para sa Pinakamahusay na Mananaliksik from the University of the Philippines Diliman. Saloma also received from the Metrobank Foundation the 2007 on September 7, 2007 and the on January 29, 2014. Saloma was awarded by the with the 1999 for his work on image compression of video and confocal images . He was included in the "50 Men and Women of Science" list that was released by the DOST for its 50th anniversary celebration as a government department in June 2008. He received the , from Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in a ceremony held at the Malacanang Palace on 19 September 2008. The award is the highest recognition given to a Philippine government employee for outstanding work performance. He was elected Inaugural Fellow of the on 23 October 2008 during the 26th SPP Physics Congress in Baguio City. Saloma received the 2010 from the DOST and NAST in recognition of his commitment, leadership, dedication and outstanding service as scientist, teacher and administrator. His vital role in the establishment and on-going completion of the was particularly recognized. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the , which published its first issue in 1906. Saloma was elevated to Senior Member status by the Board of Directors of the Optical Society of America in October 2010. He carries the rank of Professor 12 and on 2 March 2011, he was elected Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Diliman by the UP Board of Regents. He served for a period of three years. He was succeeded by medical anthropologist and College of Social Sciences & Philosophy Dean Dr. Michael L. Tan on 1 March 2014.
