Pharmaceutical Nanoscience, Ijeoma Uchegbu has been appointed as the 7th President of Wolfson College, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.

According to the institution, she is set to assume the role on October 1, 2024, succeeding the current President, Professor Jane Clarke.

Professor Uchegbu, currently holding the position of a Professor in Pharmaceutical Neuroscience at University College London, originates from South East Nigeria and Hackney.

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.

Responding, Uchegbu said, “I am so thrilled to be joining Wolfson College, an ambitious and forward-thinking College.

“It will be an honour to lead such a lively, diverse and engaged student community in an environment where people are stimulated culturally, socially and intellectually. I look forward to working with the Governing Body, staff and students to help realise their ambitions and potential.”

Meanwhile, the current President, Professor Clarke, said, “I congratulate Ijeoma for being elected President of Wolfson College. If she finds being the leader of the ‘Wolfpack’ half as rewarding as I have, then I can assure her that she will enjoy herself immensely.”

Uchegbu was raised in South East Nigeria and Hackney. She completed her pharmacy studies at the University of Benin in 1981 before attending the University of Lagos to obtain her master’s degree.

After returning to the UK, she studied postgraduate work at the University of London, earning a PhD in 1997. Alexander (Sandy) Florence, the Dean of the School of Pharmacy, supervised her dissertation. From 2002 to 2004, she worked as a lecturer at the University of Strathclyde.

Commencing her pharmacy studies in 1981 at the University of Benin, she pursued her master’s degree at the University of Lagos.

Encountering infrastructure limitations, she couldn’t finish her doctorate in Nigeria.

In the same vein, Peter Obi, on Monday, congratulated the Nigerian born professor, Ijeoma Uchegbu, who was appointed as the President of Wolfson College, at the University of Cambridge.

In a series of tweets on his X handle on Monday, Obi wrote, “I wish to joyfully congratulate Ijeoma Uchegbu, a Nigerian and Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience, celebrated for her exceptional work in nanoparticle drug delivery, who has just been announced as the 7th President of Wolfson College, one of the 31 colleges of the University of Cambridge.

“Prof. Uchegbu, currently a lecturer at University College London, is also globally celebrated for her high intellectual and global works in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) which have won her numerous awards, fellowships, and accolades, as she continues to trail the blaze in pharmaceutical nanoscience.

“Her innovative breakthrough and academic excellence, reborn out of years of dedication and hard work, have not only led to the development of new treatments that promise to transform pain relief but have also paved the way for deeper research in pharmaceutical science for the improvement of health – a very critical index of human development. As she boldly steps into her new position next year, I wish her more all-around success.”

The former Anambra State Governor also stated that he is hopeful that she will make more global impacts, and through her position, raise a generation of enthusiastic researchers who will advance the frontiers of science, medicine and global health.

He also urged her to continue to contribute to the development of Nigeria, especially in health and education.