Touching the future from the bench
Odutayo “Tayo” Odunuga was introduced to science at a secondary school in his hometown in Southwest Nigeria when a chemistry teacher invited him to work on titrations and basic benchwork in the lab. It wasn’t until his second year as an undergraduate at in Nigeria (then Ogun State University) that Odunuga’s fascination with biochemistry inspired him to pursue a life of teaching.
“I loved everything about teaching,” he said. “It was something that came naturally, and that was the beginning for me.”
Odunuga’s graduate journey was not straightforward. Nigeria experienced political instability between 1983 and 1999 during the military rule. Universities were frequently shut down due to student unrest and strikes by the academic staff union, demanding better working conditions and increased investment in higher education; thus, delaying the progress of many students. After obtaining his M.Sc. in biochemistry, Odunuga began his Ph.D. in 1995 at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, but left the country after four years without completing it.
“I used to say I did two Ph.D.s, but the one I finally completed was in South Africa,” Odunuga said. “A big obstacle in Nigeria was the limited opportunities and limited resources. Because of the frequent academic strikes and student unrest in Nigerian universities, graduate programs that would normally take one to one-and-a-half years instead took three to four years or more to finish.”
Unwavering in his dream of becoming a university educator and a mentor, Odunuga began his Ph.D. again in 1999, this time with the aid of the , or DAAD, a German academic exchange predoctoral scholarship.
In 2003, Odunuga received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from . He then undertook two consecutive postdoctoral appointments, first at the in South Africa, where he explored medical virology, and second at the , where he studied the roles of chaperones in muscle biology. In 2008, he found his home as an assistant professor at , or SFASU, in Nacogdoches, Texas, where he is now a full professor.
“It has been a journey,” he said. “From a boy in a small town in southwestern Nigeria with a dream of becoming a scientist, to going all around the world to pursue it.”
Wearing many hats
Now, as faculty adviser for the university’s 九游体育 Student Chapter, interim chair of the chemistry and biochemistry department, and an organizer of the 2023 ASBMB Education Meeting, Odunuga continues to find new ways to fulfill his commitment to pursuing research and guiding his students toward their futures.
“My Ph.D. adviser at Rhodes University wore many hats,” he said. “He was more than a teacher; he was a mentor. I know how important this is in the lives of up-and-coming scientists. This is what I do for my students because I have experienced it.”
Using the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans, a soil nematode, Odunuga’s lab focuses on characterizing and understanding UNC-45, a unique chaperone that guides the folding and function of , the motor protein involved in muscle contraction. Odunuga and his colleagues recently published on the roles of UNC-45 beyond the chaperone as a part of the book series. They are working on new projects to understand more about this chaperone family.
Odunuga’s commitment to education and continued faculty training can be seen in his in the where he and his co-authors address classroom pedagogy and faculty development for molecular and life science education.
“Balancing teaching and doing high-impact science is a very delicate art.” Odunuga said, “Part of my research is preparing the next generation of scientists.”
Laboratory research is carefully woven into the chemistry and biochemistry curricula at SFASU, with undergraduates working in a lab by the beginning of their second year. While the curriculum requires a minimum of two semesters of research, many students surpass this requirement with four to six semesters at the bench by the time they complete their undergraduate degree.
“We foster the right attitude towards research for our students,” Odunuga said. “We have a system in place to support our students, and we also sponsor students for conferences and for their professional development.”
Odunuga has taken several students to conferences organized by the ASBMB, in particular the former Experimental Biology conference. In February 2023, his department-sponsored 15 students to the annual meeting, where they presented research, attended workshops and networked with other institutions.
In September 2023, SFASU officially became the 14th institution in the , a transition that will expand opportunities for students, including funding, research, networking and graduate education. Odunuga believes this is a push in the right direction.
Connections and attitude
Odunuga attributes much of his success in making professional connections to the ASBMB community, which he joined in 2009. A career spotlight in came to him through his ASBMB network.
