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WIU graduate student Dairo Gbenga
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WIU Graduate Student Moving on to Position with WIU Alumnus at Harvard Medical School After Graduation

April 6, 2023

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MACOMB, IL – After graduating from Western Illinois University in May, Biology graduate student Dairo Gbenga has been hired as a Research Assistant II at Harvard Medical School, working in the laboratory of WIU alumnus and vascular biologist Dr. Timothy Hla.

Gbenga, of Nigeria, came to Western in 2021, to begin his graduate studies after completing his bachelor's degree from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, in his home country.

"I had the zeal to take my career to the next level in the USA so I could contribute to the scientific community and also get a better life for myself," he said. "Surfing the Internet, I came across WIU and saw that the Biology department allows graduate students to choose courses that align with their goals. Also, I noticed that the school welcomes a lot of Nigerians and other international students. That intrigued me and I decided to apply."

As Gbenga began studying at WIU, he worked in the campus lab of Associate Professor of Chemistry Mette Soendergaard, where he learned "sophisticated skills on how to use different assays in examining if extracts from a plant of interest reduce the viability of cancer cell lines."

At the same time, Gbenga said he began advancing his computational drug discovery skills in the lab of WIU Assistant Professor of Chemistry John Determan.

"I learned a better quantum mechanics approach to analyzing the physicochemical properties of a molecule," said Gbenga. "The collaboration between the Soendergaard and Determan labs has resulted in a publication where I am the lead author."

Also, as part of his studies, Gbenga said he collaborated with researchers from other institutions to propose novel drug candidates for treating SARS-COV 2 and lung cancer.

Near the end of 2022, Gbenga received an email from Harvard's biology department about an opening in Hla's laboratory. Hla received his bachelor's degree in biology from WIU in 1982.

"I contacted the professor, and, upon interview, I was accepted to start June 12 as a Research Assistant II in Hla's lab at Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School," said Gbenga.

After graduation, Gbenga will begin working in the Boston, MA laboratory full-time.

To read more about the research Gbenga has been a part of while studying at WIU, visit doi.org/10.1080/07391102.2023.2191133, frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2022.964446/full and doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv-2022-fx16b.

Posted By: Jodi Pospeschil (JK-Pospeschil@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing