“I wanted to pursue a very aggressive and quality research program and U of T was the best fit for me. ”

Experiences surrounding my upbringing made me excited about studying topics related to infectious diseases. This led me to study Microbiology in University of Nigeria, where I obtained my Bachelor’s degree. After my graduation, I was retained by the University to teach undergraduate courses in Microbiology. I later obtained a Master’s in Medical Microbiology, from the same institution before migrating to Canada in 2015. I am currently pursuing a doctorate in Molecular Genetics. 

My decision to undertake graduate studies in University of Toronto was to identify with one of North America’s leading research institutions. I wanted to pursue a very aggressive and quality research program and U of T was the best fit for me. The success stories of U of T’s alumni taking up strong leadership roles in their respective fields testifies to the quality of the institution in equipping students for future placements both in the industry and academia. I intend to work as a scientist researching and developing novel therapeutics against bacterial infections and my ultimate goal is to use my innovations to solve antibiotic resistance problems mostly encountered in developing countries.  

Molecular Genetics has a rotation program where new students are allowed to rotate in three different labs before deciding on the lab they will be staying through their grad school. I consider this a wonderful initiative as it helps the students make informed decisions about their choices. 

I enjoy robust laboratory facilities and resources which enable me to design and conduct my laboratory experiments properly. I also love the fact that there is room for meaningful collaborative work. In the node where I work, the labs are arranged in an open-space concept, which gives the opportunity to share equipment with other labs. In the Faculty of Medicine, there are several talks and seminars organized for graduate students and faculty members. This helps me learn about the exciting work which other people do and creates collaboration possibilities.  

Most grad school programs are intense and require significant amount of commitment. However, because the city of Toronto is so vivacious, it is quite easy to strike a work-life balance. 

I recently won the MPower Global Citizen Scholarship (May 2019) from Washington, USA. I feel immensely proud to be the first student from a Canadian university to win it.