EDUCATION

GRADUATE STUDIES
PhD in Experimental Oncology/Cancer Sciences
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 2018 - present.
  • Programme offers lab-based training involving both basic and translational medical research
  • Main objective is to offer students diverse research opportunities, including molecular and cellular biology of cancer, clinical and translation oncology, and drug and biomarker discovery.
  • My research specifically involves understanding how loss of the DNA repair protein, PNKP in combination with ionizing radiation and immune checkpoint inhibitors augment anti-tumor immune response in cancer cells.
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE
BSc (Hons) Biochemistry
University of Newcastle
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom, 2011-2014.
 
  • Awarded Governor's Overseas Scholarship (fully funded) by the RSG
  • Represented Newcastle University at the British Science Festival in Aberdeen
  • Served as Newcastle University Student Ambassador
  • Member Student Community Action Newcastle (SCAN)
INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION
International Foundation in Biological and Biomedical Sciences
INTO Newcastle University,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom, 2010-2011.
 
  • Awarded International Undergraduate Merit Scholarship (IUMS)
  • Awarded Governor's Overseas Scholarship (fully funded) by the RSG
  • Graduated with an excellent average score of 86%
SECONDARY EDUCATION
General Subjects with Majors in the Sciences
Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic
Comprehensive Secondary School,
Bori-Ogoni, Rivers State, Nigeria, 2003 – 2009
 
  • Senior Prefect Boy (Unannounced)
  • Awarded "Best Graduating Student"
  • Secretary, INTELLECTUAL ELITES BATCH (INEB)
  • Chairman, HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS CLUB (HURAC)
  • Co-ordinator, APEX MATHEMATICS CLUB (AMAC)

WORK EXPERIENCE

Biology, Science and Maths Teacher

Lekki City International College, Lekki, Lagos Nigeria under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Scheme.
February 2015 to October 2015
 
  • Prepared and effectively delivered lessons to a range of classes of different ages and abilities
  • Marked work, gave appropriate feedback and maintained records of pupils' progress and development.
  • Selected and used a range of different learning resources and equipment, including projectors and interactive whiteboards.
  • Managed pupil behaviour in the classroom and on school premises, and applied appropriate and effective measures in cases of misbehaviour;

 

Summer Research Placement Student

Institute of Cell and Molecular Biosciences (ICaM)
June 2013 to July 2013
 
  • Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne.
  • This research was awarded by the British Society for Cell Biology.
  • Worked in Dr Jeremy Brown's lab on the project topic ''Does ribosomal protein RPL10 influence translational recoding driven by 2A peptides?''.
  • At the end of the project, gained useful laboratory

 

Student Ambassador

Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne.
November 2013  to October 2014
 
  • Represented Newcastle University at on- and off-campus events, including visit days, open days, Higher Education (HE) events, and visits to local colleges and schools.
  • Served as a role model to prospective students, encouraging them to further their education to university level and discussing personal experience as a student with them.
  • Developed career-related skills such as presentation, team work, and verbal communication, interpersonal, organisational and time-management skills.

 

Laboratory Assistant

Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University 
October 2012 to June 2013
 
  • Lab Assistant scheme offered to second year students by the School of Biomedical Sciences. 
  • Role involved assistance with basic laboratory duties such as pipetting, making up solutions, preparing yeast media, performing PCR and making agarose gels, DNA extraction, and washing of glass wares.
  • Was also actively involved in the research going on in the lab. At the end of the scheme, gained hands-on experience of practical skills that would be useful to my research career.

 

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

  • Worked as a lab assistant and a summer research placement student (see above) with good experience in life science research
  • Undertook a final year research project on the ‘’role of Hexim1 in regulating P-TEFb – a key regulator of transcription’’.
  • Gained skills in presentation, scientific communication, critical thinking, scientific analysis and research project dissertation writing and techniques/assays in molecular biology.

MEMBERSHIP, HOBBIES, AWARDS AND SKILLS

Societies:

  • Member, Frontiers in Cancer Research Journal Club, Dept of Oncology, University of Alberta.
  • Member, Cancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta – CRINA
  • Secretary, The Intellectual Elites Batch, RivPolyCSS, Bori-Ogoni, Nigeria.
  • Member, Global Biotech Revolution Alumni (Selected as one of 100 Leaders of Tomorrow - 2019)
  • Board volunteer member of “Helping Youth Through Educational Scholarships” (HYTES), Alberta, Canada

Hobbies and Interests:

  • Reading, teaching, singing, adventure, befriending, cooking, IT and web design, cancer research.

IT Skills:

  • MS words, MS Excel, MS Powerpoint, Web design and publishing, Life Science database.

Awards:

  • University of Alberta Doctoral Recruitment Scholarship, July 2020.
  • Marathon of Hope Graduate Studentships in Breast Cancer or Glioblastoma Research, August 2020.
  • Strategic Training in Transdisciplinary Radiation Science for the 21st Century (STARS21) scholarship, 2019
  • Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry 75th Anniversary Award, 2019
  • Graduate Research Assistant Fellowship – GRAF by University of Alberta (September 2019 – present)
  • Second runner-up at the 2019 GapSummit’s Voices of Tomorrow competition held at the Broad Institute, Boston, USA
  • Antoine Noujaim Graduate Entrance Scholarship awarded by Department of Oncology, University of Alberta (Sept. 2018-present)
  • Graduate Research Assistant Fellowship – GRAF by University of Alberta (January – August 2018)
  • Governor's Special Overseas Undergraduate Scholarship by the Rivers State Government, Nigeria (2010-2014); and
  • Summer Research placement awarded by the British Society for Cell Biology (BSCB, 2013).
  • British Science Festival (in Aberdeen) Student Bursary Award (2012) by Newcastle University

Last updated: June 2021