2022 March Alumni of the Month

Why did you choose to study at UEL?
I chose UEL because of the multicultural diversity of students and faculty members as well as the affordable tuition fees.

What is your one special memory of your time at UEL?
I will always remember the cosy environment in the Stratford campus library which made reading and thinking fun for me.

What have you done since graduating from UEL?

I have continued my work in teaching and research at the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. However, I have just completed my PhD research at Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA, as an exchange graduate student. My thesis explored the role of early life adversity and parasubthalamic neurons in a mouse model of alcohol dependence. I developed a novel mouse model of alcohol dependence vulnerability induced by early life adversity and this has been published in the top tier journal of the Neurobiology of Stress!

What is your current job role? And what does it involve?
I am currently a lecturer at the University of Benin, Nigeria, where I teach pharmacology to undergraduate pharmacy students and do research involving the behavioural pharmacology of alcohol.

How did UEL help you get to where you are now?
My MSc research project in which I used the fruit fly to study alcohol-induced behaviours and the mentorship I got from my advisor, Dr Stefano Casalotti, greatly influenced my present research focus.

What advice would you give your younger self?
Put in the hard work required to achieve your set goals. Network with peers and opinion leaders in your sphere of interest because career advancement depends on relationships besides abilities.

What advice would you give to UEL current students preparing to graduate?
Take advantage of the various employability assistance and resources provided by UEL to distinguish yourself and be more employable in the labour market.

Tell us something about yourself that most people don't know:
I enjoy cooking. I like singing in the shower too. I guess most people do not know that.

If you were to do it all again, would you still choose UEL?
I would choose UEL over and over again because the support I received from my MSc project advisor has immensely helped my subsequent academic pursuit.