FUTA Appoints Professor Funmilola Omoya As Dean Of School Of Basic Medical Sciences

The Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), has appointed Professor Funmilola Omoya as the Dean of its School of Basic Medical Sciences (SBMS) following her election by the school.

The appointment was approved by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adenike Temidayo Oladiji, marking a new leadership phase for the school.

Professor Omoya, a Professor of Microbiology, is an academic, researcher and administrator with expertise in public health, infectious disease epidemiology, malaria control and sustainable biological interventions for disease prevention.

An alumna of FUTA, she obtained her Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.), Master of Technology (M.Tech.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Microbiology from the institution. She also earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, broadening her expertise in microbiology, environmental health and public health.

She joined FUTA as a Graduate Assistant in 2001 and rose through the academic ranks before attaining the rank of Professor in 2020.

Before her appointment as Dean, Professor Omoya served as the pioneer Head of the Department of Medical Laboratory Science, where she played a key role in establishing and developing the department.

Throughout her career, she has served on several university committees, including the School of Sciences Intellectual Debate Seminar Committee, FUTA Radio Airtime Committee, FUTA Publications Committee and the Examiners' Report Committee of the School of Postgraduate Studies, contributing to institutional development and quality assurance.

Beyond FUTA, Professor Omoya has served as a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Atmospheric Research of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Ayingba, Kogi State.

She has also served as an external examiner for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in several Nigerian universities, in addition to reviewing academic programmes, research proposals and scientific publications.

Her research focuses on malaria treatment and control, biological control of malaria vectors, natural products for antimalarial drug and vaccine development, public health and infectious disease epidemiology.

Professor Omoya has authored and co-authored more than 100 scholarly publications in reputable national and international journals. She has also presented research findings at conferences across Africa, Europe, Asia and North America, including the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Pan-African Malaria Conference and conferences of the American Society for Microbiology.

She is a member of several professional organisations, including the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), Nigerian Society for Microbiology (NSM), Biotechnology Society of Nigeria (BSN), Society for Applied Microbiology (SfAM), Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) and the Pan African Mosquito Control Association (PAMCA).

Professor Omoya is also recognised for mentoring young scientists and healthcare professionals, having supervised numerous undergraduate projects, master's dissertations and doctoral theses.

As Dean of the School of Basic Medical Sciences, she is expected to provide strategic leadership aimed at strengthening academic programmes, advancing research, promoting staff and student development, and expanding collaborations in medical education and biomedical sciences.