Doctor Afolabi Kayode

Biography

Dr. Kayode O. Afolabi is a passionate and purpose-driven researcher in the field of Microbiology with an exceptional flair for studying microorganisms ("Our Unseen Allies") and their numerous activities of great economic importance to man and animals. His interest in pursuing a higher degree by research was borne out of his passion to be part of a team that generates new knowledge, answers scientific questions, and provides innovative solutions for the socioeconomic development of society. More importantly, his utmost desire is to engage in research that will complement every other reasonable effort that is geared toward elevating Africa from the abyss of poverty and hunger, and the maintenance of a healthy society. His academic journey began in 1997 when he got admission to study Microbiology at the Premier University of Nigeria. He concluded his first degree (with honors) with a research project on “Antibacterial activities of Onion (Allium cepa) on some pathogenic bacteria isolated from ocular infections”, the research project that earned him a distinction as his undergraduate project. Having completed his one-year mandatory National Youth Service program in 2003, he went back to the same University of Ibadan in 2004 for a Masters of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Microbiology with all zeal to get established and build his career in academics. His M.Sc. dissertation on “Effect of metal ions on growth and ethanol production of Saccharomyces carlsbergensis var. uvarum in Sorghum wort” was very successful. His good academic performance and research prowess became vivid as he obtained distinction (80%) in his Dissertation and had an overall cumulative grade of 66.3% (Ph.D. Grade). After graduating with an M.Sc. degree in 2006, he left academics for the industry to work till the end of the year 2014. In 2015, he left working in the industry to pursue his dream of becoming a faculty member. He enrolled for a Ph.D. degree program in Microbiology at the University of Fort Hare (UFH), South Africa, and graduated in May 2018. His Ph.D. research focused on determining the “Incidence of porcine circovirus type 2 and porcine parvoviruses in swine herds of some communities in Eastern Cape South Africa”. Notably, he was awarded a special Innovation Doctoral Scholarship by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa for his doctoral study. He has successfully published five (5) quality, Web of Science-indexed peer-reviewed articles in reputable international journals in his field from his thesis. Equally, he has presented findings from his work at different National and International conferences, including the South African Society for Microbiology (SASM) Conference 2018, and the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Microbe 2017 congress respectively. He attended the U.S. conference through the NRF international travel grant awarded to him in May 2017. Sequel to his Ph.D. graduation in May 2018, he returned back to Nigeria precisely in June 2018 and took up a lecturing appointment with Anchor University Lagos on October 2, 2018. Presently, he is a Lecturer and Researcher at the Department of Biological Sciences, Anchor University Lagos, Nigeria. To his credit, currently, he has over 4 years post qualification teaching and research experience, and a total of twelve (12) publications, 75% of which are indexed in Scopus and Web of Science. Also, he has three (3) journal articles presently under peer review process in International journals of repute, and one (1) book chapter already accepted for publication by John Wiley and Sons, Inc., USA. His research expertise is in the area of Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health with an interest in viral, bacterial, protozoal, and fungal agents of human and animal diseases. He is presently the Coordinator of the Epidemiology & Modelling Division of Anchor University Center Global Health (AUCGH) and the pioneer of the Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health Research Group (MEPHREG) in the Department of Biological Sciences of the University. He is a recipient of a New Lecturer Research Grant from Applied Microbiology International (AMI), formerly the Society for Applied Microbiology (SfAM), United Kingdom. Dr. Afolabi is a member of eight (8) national and international scientific bodies including the South African Society for Microbiology; Nigerian Society for Microbiology; American Society of Microbiology; Mycological Society of Nigeria; Society for Applied Microbiology; Biotechnology Society of Nigeria; and World Society for Virology. Also, he is a reviewer for thirteen (13) international journals of repute in his field, including PLoS Pathogen (IF: 6.51); Transboundary and Emerging Diseases (IF: 5.005); Scientific Reports (Nature) (IF: 4.379); mSphere (IF: 3.68); Frontiers in Veterinary Science (IF: 3.412); Infection, Genetics, and Evolution (Elsevier) (IF: 3.342); Veterinary Microbiology (Elsevier) (IF: 3.293); PLoS One (IF: 3.041); BMC Veterinary Research (IF: 2.741); and Veterinary and Animal Science (Elsevier). Also, to his credit, he has contributed over 90 partial and complete sequenced, characterized, and annotated viral, bacterial, and protozoal genomes to the international depository, GenBank, from his various research works to date.

Qualifications

• .Ph.D. Microbiology, University Of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa
• .M.Sc. Microbiology, University Of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
• .B.Sc. (Hons.) Microbiology, University Of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria