I am absolutely delighted to announce that Tolulope Oduselu, an undergraduate in the Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science (BMLS), College of Medicine, University of Ibadan (CoMUI) is a recipient of the International Society of Viruses of Microbes Early Career Scientist Grant for 2022. Tolulope Oduselu's genomic research journey has been recognised and featured by the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/people/062222/a-phage-agent-of-change). Tolulope had received mentorship from a group of distinguished and dedicated members of faculty in CoMUI. Let us learn a bit more about this.
BIG THANKS TO THE IBADAN BACTERIOPHAGE RESEARCH TEAM
The Ibadan Bacteriophage Research Team is a leading undergraduate research organisation in the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan (CoMUI) and one of few early-career research projects in any African university focused on bacteriophage biology and genomic research.
The team was founded in 2018 by eight Biomedical Science researchers (Professor O.G. Ademowo- Founder and Faculty Head, Professor J.I. Anetor, Dr. M.O Adewumi- Research Supervisor, Dr. A.S Bakarey, Dr. Temitope O.C Faleye, Mrs. V.O Ogunleye- Wet Laboratory Supervisor, Mrs. Ini Adebiyi, and Mr. Raifu Muideen). This group was established in collaboration with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and University of Pittsburgh, under the project SEA-PHAGES (Science Education Alliance Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Sciences). The team aims to provide a platform for early career research engagement for undergraduate students of the Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan (CoMUI) through her unique faculty-guided, student-driven research model. The team maintains an adventure-based learning structure sustained by healthy mentor-mentee guidance.
Since its inception, the Team has trained more than 50 undergraduate students of the Biomedical Laboratory Sciences department and others from the departments of Physiology and Biochemistry, through her faculty-based research project, BAMSSA Research Hub. Till date, the team has published three review papers and presented more than 20 conference abstracts on different subjects of bacteriophage biology. Most notably is the UNIBADAN Conference on Biomedical Research 2021, BioAccess Conference- Rockefeller University, Gulf Coast Undergraduate Research Symposium- 2020, Viruses of Microbes Conference- International Society of Viruses for Microbes 2022, etc. The team hosts the yearly World Phage Week virtual conference which plays host to more than 150 delegates from more than 15 countries all over the world yearly. The event is sponsored by Phage Directory, Phase Genomics, and the Tailor Laboratory of the Baylor College of Medicine, Texas. The team also boasts of publishing PHAMILIA, the first undergraduate journal in bacteriophage biology in Africa.
The success of The Ibadan Bacteriophage Research Team has been widely recognised. Most recently the Team had featured in an article titled “A Phage Agent of Change”, published by the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, detailing the genomic research journey of Tolulope Oduselu, the pioneer student leader of the team. Tolulope Oduselu is also the recipient of the International Society of Viruses of Microbes Early Career Scientist Grant for the VOM 2022 conference. In 2020, he was also recognised by the European Society of Clinical Medicine and Infectious Diseases as the youngest honouree on the list of 30 distinguished researchers under the age of 30. He is a member of numerous international scientific societies such as the Wellcome Trust Surveillance for Epidemiology and Drug Resistant Infections Consortium, the American Society of Microbiology, International Society of Viruses for Microbes, and the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
CoMUI applauds The Ibadan Bacteriophage Research Team and wishes for more accolades and recognitions.
Olayinka Omigbodun
Professor of Psychiatry and Provost