The Vice-Chancellor, Professor K.O. Adebowale, FAS, mni, cordially invites you to the 584th Inaugural Lecture, to be delivered by Professor Samuel A. Onasanwo of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan (CoMUI).
TITLE: NUTRACEUTICALS AND BRAIN: EXPLORING THE NEUROPROTECTIVE ARSENAL FOR OPTIMAL BRAIN FUNCTION
DATE: THURSDAY, 19TH JUNE, 2025
TIME: 3:00 P.M. West Central Africa
VENUE: TRENCHARD HALL, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN
TO BE DELIVERED BY: PROFESSOR SAMUEL A. ONASANWO
Thank you
Prof. Temidayo Ogundiran FAS
Provost
PROFESSOR SAMUEL A. ONASANWO BIODATA
Professor Samuel Adetunji Onasanwo was born to the family of Prince Gabriel Idowu Onasanwo (of blessed memory) and Madam Margaret Jumoke Onasanwo over five decades ago at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Young Samuel had his primary education at Christ the King Convent School, Agugu, Ibadan, Nigeria, between 1979 and 1984. He had his secondary school education at Lagelu Grammar School, Agugu, Ibadan, Nigeria, between 1985 and 1989, where he obtained his West African School Certificate (WASC).
Thereafter, he proceeded to the University of Ibadan and graduated in 1996 from the Department of Physiology, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Physiology with Second Class Upper Division. As an undergraduate, he was the best graduating student in Physiology. He then proceeded for his compulsory National Youth Service in Rivers State, where he served at Government Secondary School, Eberi, Onuma, Port Harcourt, between 1997 and 1998.
Professor Samuel Onasanwo went on to obtain his M.Sc. (2000) and Ph.D. (2005) degrees in Physiology from the University of Ibadan. He began his academic career as an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Physiology, University of Ibadan, on 29th June 2000, shortly after completing his Master’s degree. He rose steadily through the ranks of the University’s promotion ladder and became a Professor of Physiology on 1st October 2019.
Professor Onasanwo has served (and is still serving) the University in various capacities: Sub-Dean (Undergraduate) from 2006 to 2014, Postgraduate Coordinator for the Department of Physiology from 2014 to 2018, and Sub-Dean (Postgraduate) from 2018 to 2022. He is currently the Head, Department of Physiology, a position he has held since 2024.
Professor Onasanwo has served as an External Examiner to several institutions, including the University of Benin; Obafemi Awolowo University; Afe Babalola University; Edo State University; Olabisi Onabanjo University; Ondo Medical University; University of Ilorin; University of Lagos; and the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
He is a member of several professional societies, including the Physiological Society of Nigeria (PSN), African Association of Physiological Sciences (AAPS), The Physiological Society UK, American Physiological Society (APS), Society for the Study of Pain (SSPN), International Association for the Study of Pain, Neuroscience Society of Nigeria (NSN), Society of Neuroscientists of Africa (SONA), and the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO). He has served as Financial Secretary and Treasurer of the Neuroscience Society of Nigeria (NSN), Treasurer of the Society of Neuroscientists of Africa (SONA), and Financial Secretary of the Physiological Society of Nigeria (PSN) to date.
As a scholar, Professor Onasanwo has successfully supervised six Ph.D. graduates in Physiology and Neuroscience, two M.Phil. students, many Master’s students, and numerous B.Sc. students. He is currently supervising three Ph.D. students. He has an H-index of 20 and has published over 71 articles in peer-reviewed journals, in addition to numerous conference proceedings and book chapters.
Professor Onasanwo has received numerous awards, including the Best Graduating Student Award in Physiology (1996). He received the prestigious Federal Government of Nigeria Postgraduate Scholarship Award in 2002. In 2004, he was awarded the Postgraduate Fellowship by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), which enabled him to carry out research at the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow, India. He also received the INSA-JRD TATA Fellowship Award at the Regional Research Laboratory, Jammu-Tawi, India, in 2006.
In 2008, Professor Onasanwo was awarded a post-doctoral CSIR/TWAS Fellowship at the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India. He obtained the Research Training Fellowship for Developing Country Scientists (RTFDCS) under the RTFDCS-CCSTDS (CICS) Fellowship and proceeded to the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, and the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, in 2011. In 2014, he received the International Junior Research Grant (IJRG) for short-term post-doctoral training at the School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
He has served as an External Examiner to the University of Benin, Benin City; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti; Edo State University, Iyamho; Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye; Ondo Medical University, Ondo; University of Ilorin, Ilorin; University of Lagos, Idi-Araba; and the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Professor Onasanwo is a Pastor at Christ Life Church International, Ibadan. He is married to Mrs Olasubomi Onasanwo, a banker and businesswoman. Their marriage is blessed with two children: Peter Adesoji and Deborah Adeola.