Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu Biography
Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu is a Nigerian-British scientist who is an expert in pharmaceutical nanoscience and drug delivery. She is also the Chief Scientific Officer of Nanomerics, a company that develops innovative solutions for poorly water-soluble drugs, nucleic acids and peptides. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society of Chemistry, and a Governor of the Wellcome Trust. She will become the President of Wolfson College, Cambridge in October 2024.
Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu Early Life and Education
Professor Uchegbu grew up in Hackney, London and South East Nigeria. She studied pharmacy at the University of Benin, graduating in 1981, and earned her master’s degree at the University of Lagos. She could not complete a PhD in Nigeria due to infrastructure difficulties in the 1980s.
In 1997, she returned to the UK and successfully finished her postgraduate studies at the University of London, earning a PhD. She was appointed a lecturer at the University of Strathclyde from 2002-2004, where she became a Chair in Drug Delivery. In 2006, she became a Chair in Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at the School of Pharmacy, University College London.
Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu Career
Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu is a Nigerian-British scientist and academic who is known for her research in pharmaceutical nanoscience and drug delivery. She is also the President-elect of Wolfson College, Cambridge.
She developed polymers capable of self-assembling into nanoparticles tailored for effective drug delivery. She has developed new treatments for pain relief, cancer, and neurological disorders using nanotechnology. She holds several patents for drug delivery and biocompatible polymers.
She is also the Chief Scientific Officer of Nanomerics, a pharmaceutical nanotechnology company specialising in drug delivery solutions for poorly water-soluble drugs, nucleic acids and peptides. She is also a Governor of the Wellcome Trust, a large biomedical research charity.
She is also known for her work in science public engagement and equality and diversity in STEM. She has served as the Pro Vice Provost for Africa and the Middle East, and the Provost Envoy for Race Equality at UCL.
In December 2023, it was announced that she will become the seventh President of Wolfson College, Cambridge in October 2024, making her the first black woman to lead a Cambridge college. She said she was “honoured and humbled” by the appointment, and hoped to “build on the college’s reputation for excellence and inclusion”.
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Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu Awards
Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu has received many awards and recognitions for her contributions to science, such as the Women of Outstanding Achievement in Science Engineering and Technology award from the UK Department of Business Innovation Skills, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Pharmaceutical Scientist of the Year 2012, the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences Innovative Science Award 2016, the Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and the Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu Personal Life, Husband and Children
Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu is married to Andreas Gerhart Schatzlein and they have four children: Ijeoma, Njideka Chidinma, Ifeyinwa Kelechi, and Orla Chiemena Schatzlein.
Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu Net Worth
Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu is a very successful and influential scientist and leader in the field of pharmaceutical nanoscience, and her net worth as of 2023 is estimated to be around $500,000.
