Biography

Prof. Miriam Igwo-Ezikpe is an accomplished scholar, researcher, and innovator, serving as an Environmental Biochemist and Chair of the African Research Security Consortium (ARSC).

Her work spans interdisciplinary domains, toxicological assessment, combining natural product chemistry, and public health research to address environmental and societal challenges. Through ARSC, she leads initiatives to strengthen knowledge security, foster ethical international collaborations, and promote evidence-based integration of herbal medicines into healthcare systems.

She has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and supervised numerous postgraduate students who have gone on to advance their careers globally. Her research leadership has attracted competitive grants, including international awards, and supported mentorship and capacity-building programmes for emerging scientists.

A passionate advocate for innovation, ethical research practices, and policy translation, Prof. Igwo-Ezikpe integrates academic excellence with community-focused initiatives that advance the Sustainable Development Goals. With over 14 years on the postgraduate studies board, she has guided five Ph.D. graduates and more than sixty Master’s students, reinforcing her commitment to environmental stewardship, public health, and the integrity of the research ecosystem.

Prof. Damian Chukwu Odimegwu holds a Bachelor Degree in Pharmacy, and Master of Pharmacy Degree in Pharmaceutical Microbiology from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1999 and 2007 respectively. He obtained his PhD in 2014 in Molecular and Medical Virology from the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, under the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) program, and has recently received an LLM in Intellectul Property Law from Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey. He is currently a Professor of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he has been engaged in teaching, research and training of undergraduate and postgraduate students since 2008. He is also the Director of the University’s Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Office (IPTTO) since 2016, and the Program Coordinator for the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) – University of Nigeria In-Country/In-Regional postgraduate scholarship programme. He was the Head, Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology from 2021 to 2023. In 2023, he was elected as the Vice Chair, African Research Security Consortium (ARSC),  position he has occupied till date. Prof Odimegwu specializes in pharmaceutical microbiology and biotechnology, pharmacy innovation, intellectual property and technology transfer, and research security.

Inegbe Innocent obtained a Diploma in Industrial Relations and Trade Unionism, B.Ed. in Adult Education and Community Development, M.Ed. in Industrial Education, and M.Sc in Industrial Sociology, all from the University of Ibadan. He has been a staff at the University of Ibadan for over two decades and has worked in various Departments/Units in an administrative capacity. Presently, he works as a Research Administrator at the Research Management Office, University of Ibadan, a new role he assumed in 2016. He also assists researchers in pre award processes. He is currently the Resident Research Administrator at the Faculty of Science, and he facilitates the RMO’s legal unit where he assists in processing Research Agreements between the University of Ibadan and other institutions. Mr Inegbe anchors the University of Ibadan Research and Innovation Discourse (UI-RID). He is an alumnus of the University Administration Support Programme under the International Research Exchange Board (IREX/UASP), and an executive member of the African Research Security Consortium (ARSC) established by the U.S. Department of State.

Chidozie Charles Nnaji is a professor of Civil Engineering. He obtained his first degree in Department of Civil Engineering from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 2005. He also obtained his M.Eng and Ph.D in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering from the same institution in 2007 and 2011 respectively. He joined the services of the University in 2007 and rose to the rank of Professor in 2019. He was Head of Department from 2020 to 2021. Before his appointment as Head of Department, he had served as the departmental postgraduate coordinator for over six years. He was appointed a Senior Research Associate at the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University of Johannesburg in 2018 and also served as the Monitoring/Evaluation Officer of the World Bank Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Power and Energy Development (ACE-SPED) from 2018 to 2020. In 2023, he was appointed as a Short Course Lecturer at the Pan-African Institute of Water and Energy Sciences (Including Climate Change) in Tlemcen, Algeria. He has been serving as an International Business Plan Judge for Conrad Foundation, Texas. He has serves as an External Examiner for several universities. He has served as a resource person for several conferences, public lectures and workshops organized by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka as well as other universities. He is an editorial board member of two national and four international journals. He has supervised several postgraduate students in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering and has authored over eighty scholarly publications most of which were published in journals ranked by Scimago and Clarivate Analytics. He is the current Editor-in-Chief of the prestigious Nigerian Journal of Technology (Scopus-indexed). He serves as a Consultant Hydrologist to some state governments in the southern part of the country. He is also a Group Pastor of the Deeper Life Bible Church in Nsukka. He is married to Mrs Favour Nnenna Nnaji and they are blessed with two girls and two boys.

Some key achievements

1. As Head of Department, I conceived and successfully organised the first internationalconference hosted by the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nigeria, Nsukka in its over fifty years of existence. It was organized in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
2. As Head of Department for one year, I successfully executed the following projects for the Department through consultancy and alumni interventions
   1. Installation of 5kVA solar unit
   2. Installation of 16 channels CCTV unit for classrooms and examination halls.
   3. Provision of internet access to staff and students
   4. Complete renovation of 5 toilet units, with booster pump, overhead tank, hand dryer and urinary bowl
   5. Establishment of computer centre
   6. Payment of tuition fee for four undergraduate students
   7. Produced the first e-newsletter of the Department since inception
3. Successfully supervised over fifty undergraduate project students, nine master’s students, and currently supervising over ten masters’ and five Ph.D students.
4. Organized over fifty postgraduate proposal and defence seminars while serving as Postgraduate Coordinator.
5. Has organized and presided over thirty Ph.D oral examinations both as Postgraduate Coordinator and later as Head of Department
6. Successfully computed and compiled the cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of over two hundred final year students for three consecutive years as Examination Officer, while delivering undergraduate course lectures and undertaking my Ph.D research concurrently.
7. Published over eighty research articles many of which are in ISI-indexed journals
8. Mentored several young researchers who are now excelling in research. A few are listed below.
   1. PraiseGod Emenike (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=h5iIF2EAAAAJ&hl=en)
   2. Emmanuel Ugwu (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=tZV-cLQAAAAJ&hl=en)
   3. Robert Ekwule (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=dwS0xSgAAAAJ&hl=en)
   4. Chinedum Eluwa (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5qPw_eQAAAAJ&hl=en)