"You could say that I just loved mixing things up"

When I was growing up as a child all I wanted to do was cook. If I wasn't in the kitchen trying to make a mess, you would find me with my siblings and friends pretending to cook with empty cans. You could say that I just loved mixing things up. I believe this interest had a profound influence on what I studied in school. I started with home economics (no surprise there), but my true calling was to come later. I was always fascinated by the simplest laboratory experiments and before I knew it, I had taken an interest in chemistry. I was still mixing things up as a chemistry student, only in a different kind of kitchen. I obtained my first degree in chemistry at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and later obtained an MSc. in Inorganic Chemistry at the same university. I continued on to Silsoe College, Cranfield University, United Kingdom for a PhD in Postharvest Technology. Now as a lecturer and head of the Department for Food Science and Technology at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, it seems I found the ideal way to combine my two passions - food and science.

My research interest basically involves screening, identifying and enhancing useful compounds present in natural products. We use these compounds for the development of innovative food products. Another direction is encouraging the use and development of underutilized food crops by investigating and characterizing their nutraceutical and physiochemical properties. There is no reason why food cannot be both nutritious and therapeutically useful. Moreover, growing these underutilized foods provides income to some of the poorest people in West Africa.

I have to admit that being a Novartis/Seeding Labs Fellow has its perks. 

 The opportunity to contribute more to the development of my students in my university was undoubtedly my major motivation for wanting to be a Fellow. I also saw an opportunity to advance my career in academia. The thought of meeting and sharing ideas with other scientists was also a very exciting motivator. I believe that the best way to develop ourselves as scientists is to brainstorm and collaborate with each other. What better way to share ideas than in an environment where rich scientific interactions are not only possible, but enabled and encouraged.

I believe that Africa has the potential to meet the needs of its entire people through the development of science.

Over the past few years, I have personally witnessed a steady development of science in Africa. Unfortunately, the pace of progress is slow and there is still a lot of room for improvement. One of the major problems with the development of science in Africa is the inability to effectively share information. Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential to this development and this can be achieved by building a network of trust across the various disciplines and institutions. If professionals from different fields would come together and share information, we would make more progress in terms of productive research.

 A major problem that my university and many others in Africa face is the lack of equipment and technical expertise. The fellowship program will be an opportunity for me to familiarize myself with some of the cutting edge technologies used at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. I hope to bring the knowledge acquired to the various stakeholders with the ultimate aim of improving our laboratories and making good use of the resources available to us.

“Tell me and I'll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I'll understand”. 

One of my favorite quotations is a Chinese proverb that says, “Tell me and I'll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I'll understand”. This has been one of the underlying principles of my life as a lecturer. I believe that a more participatory approach to teaching and learning will be more effective at training successful and more innovative young scientists. I make it a point to get my students more involved in class activity and I tailor my classes to be more 'hands on'. It is my desire that all my students will have a fulfilling learning experience, be abreast with the latest trends in science, develop themselves personally as critical and innovative thinkers and contribute positively to the development of the country.

 When asked what I do for fun I often pause because every bit of my life is fun.

I love my work, my students, friends and family. I used to take an active part in sports as a young woman but I’m not so sharp anymore and I haven't had much time for sport. I do have early morning walks from time to time just to keep the body fit. It’s worth mentioning that I also love to sing and dance, though I’m not sure a career in that department would have been successful. Any time I hear a good song that I know, the pop star in me awakens. As a child, I remember getting into trouble a few times for getting carried away while singing in class. In my spare time, I seldom pass up the opportunity to cook. It is always satisfying to have my students, friends and family over on holidays and weekends just to show off some of the old recipes. I am often invited to give talks and lectures at leadership and motivational programs and it is also one of the activities that I enjoy doing very much. I believe it’s just another way that I can give back to society. A lot of young people look up to me for guidance and I make it a point to answer whenever they call.