Summary of my scientific publications

Education

PhD (Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology), University of Nevada, Reno, United States

May 2021
My 5-chapter dissertation focuses on generating empirical data with direct and immediate application in the conservation of a U.S. federally threatened plant species. My research focused on estimating population genetic diversity, quantifying the genome size within I. webberi and among Ivesia taxa, fitting ecological niche models, and investigating the regeneration niche of I. webberi via studies on the soil seed bank and seed viability and germination.

MSc (Botany), University of Ibadan, Nigeria

May 2010
My master's thesis investigates difference in foliar and pollen anatomical and morphological structures and phytochemical diversity in Tacca leontopetaloides along ecological gradient. Four papers were published from this thesis.

Postgraduate Diploma (Science Education), National Teachers' Institute, Kaduna, Nigeria

October 2007
I received training on professionalism in science education during this Diploma certificate program. This program is crucial for teaching science courses in Nigerian universities

BSc with Honors (Botany), Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria

May 2002
My undergraduate degree in Botany deepened my interest in all things plants!

Research Experience

Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, United States

August 2021 - July 2023
I am a recipient of the 2021 David H Smith Conservation Research Fellowship. This 2-year fellowship funds my postdoctoral research on spatial phylogenetics of the North American native vascular flora to inform conservation prioritization due to global environmental change

Adjunct faculty, Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, NV, United States

August 2018 - July 2021
In this Hispanic Serving Institution, I taught lecture and lab sections of General Biology for non-majors and Cell and Molecular Biology courses. During this time, I also served on the Student Resources Committee, contributing to the leadership in supporting students via counseling, food pantry services, and scholarship.

Summer Instructor, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, United States

June - August 2020
I taught an Introduction to Environmental Science course during the two 2020 summer sessions in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno

Research Scientist, National Center for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Nigeria

May 2008 - April 2021
In addition to managing the National Field Gene bank, an ex situ conservation site for recalciterant plant species, I also conducted research on assessing the threats of Nigeria's native flora and mentored over 30 undergraduate interns.