Tinubu celebrates as Nigeria-born Uchegbu becomes Cambridge University President

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated Nigerian-born Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience and top-tier researcher Ijeoma Uchegbu on her election as president of Wolfson College, one of the University of Cambridge’s 31 colleges.

Prof. Uchegbu was named the seventh President of Wolfson College, one of the University of Cambridge’s 31 colleges, on Sunday.

This was announced on the University’s website in a statement titled “Wolfson elects Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu as the University’s 7th President.”

Uchegbu is well-known for her groundbreaking work in nanoparticle drug delivery, and she will succeed the current President, Professor Jane Clarke, on October 1, 2024.

The statement read, “We are delighted to announce that Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu, a ground-breaking nanoscientist, has been elected as Wolfson’s seventh President.

“Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu, a Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience known for her ground-breaking work in nanoparticle drug delivery, will become the 7th President of Wolfson. She will succeed the current President, Professor Jane Clarke, on 1 October 2024.

“Professor Uchegbu is currently a Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at University College London. Her pioneering work on the mechanisms of drug transport has led to the development of new treatments which promise to transform pain relief, including the enkephalin pain medicine candidate (EnveltaÔ), designed to address the opioid crisis.

“Her work has won her numerous awards, fellowships and accolades, and she holds positions on several academic boards and councils including the Wellcome Trust, the Academy of Medical Sciences and is an honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

“She has also played a leading role during her time at UCL as Pro Vice Provost for Africa and the Middle East, in forging new research partnerships in those regions and as UCL’s Provost’s Envoy for Race Equality, steering the organisation’s race equality agenda.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu congratulated Professor Uchegbu on her outstanding achievement and praised her for being an excellent ambassador for the country and for her unwavering efforts to advance the frontiers of pharmaceutical science.

The President praised Professor Uchegbu for exemplifying the ingenuity, brilliance, and hard work that have long been associated with the great Nigerian people at home and abroad.

While wishing the Nigerian-born Professor success in this important role, President Tinubu assured Nigerians in the Diaspora that his administration remains committed to building a robust interface mechanism that harnesses ideas, promotes investment opportunities, and strengthens bonds, in line with his “4D Foreign Policy.”