My interest and consideration of Toxicology as a possible career path, was berthed during the course of my first master’s degree training in Biochemistry (Molecular Drug Metabolism and Toxicology Concentration) at the University of Ibadan (UI), Nigeria. Even though I knew very little about toxicology as an undergraduate student of Biochemistry, University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), this immediately changed when I had the privilege of coming under the tutelage of Professor E.O. Farombi (who was and still is the Director of my lab at UI and would later become my academic mentor). Professor Farombi exposed me to the world of Xenobiochemistry and Free radical biochemistry by the tons of manuscripts he made us read and discuss on such topics as oxidative stress, plant-based phytochemicals (like curcumin, resveratrol, 6-gingerol, protocatechuic acid and so forth), chemoprevention, drug and xenobiotic hepatic biotransformation, zone-3 hepatocytes just to mention a few.

As a result, I developed an undying passion for the discipline (toxicology) which continued right into my second master’s degree in Public Health (at the Southern Medical University, Guangzhou China) where Professor Yungang Liu further drew important correlations between exposure to environmental toxicants [such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), heavy metals and others] and the onset of human pathologies. Interestingly, Professor Yungang Liu was also a postdoctoral Research Scholar at our University of Iowa (Nov. 2003-Aug. 2009), taking part in the Superfund Basic Research Program, investigating the interactions between PCBs and sulfotransferases.

My conviction is rock-solid that The Human Toxicology Program (HTP), especially in terms of its organization, administration, overarching objectives (both research and training objectives) and faculty compositions, represents the exact kind of opportunity I have waited for my entire academic life, and I cannot wait to learn from and be mentored by some of the finest minds in the field.

Apart from devoting my time to research, I also love to cook, listen to music, play soccer (which is the dormant national sport of my country, Nigeria), hike and read (non-science literatures) especially on weekends. Moreover, I derive satisfaction engaging (constructively) with and serving other people, and I hope to find platforms for this here in the HTP family.