Dr. Adesola Oluwafunmilayo Olalekan

I am a Senior Lecturer and passionate researcher in the Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria. My research interests focus on the molecular epidemiology of bacteria, particularly the ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species), to unravel the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. I also study Chromobacterium violaceum and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia.

Currently, I am exploring the entire genomes of these bacteria using bioinformatics tools to investigate the population structures of resistance genes and their evolutionary dynamics. As an infectious disease researcher, I am committed to using molecular techniques to study the genetic determinants of antimicrobial resistance in clinical infections.

I have published impactful findings in both national and international journals in the field of antimicrobial resistance and have led capacity-building programs on standardized antimicrobial testing techniques across various institutions in Nigeria. I am also keenly interested in mitigating the threats of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), including studies at the intersection of AMR and climate change.

Over the years, I have received several prestigious fellowships and travel awards, including the DAAD Fellowship (Germany, 2009–2011), DAAD Re-Invitation Fellowship (Germany, 2019), the Second Best Ph.D. Thesis Award (2012/2013 academic session, LAUTECH), a DFG/TWAS Collaborative Visit to Münster, Germany (2018), multiple global health travel awards, and most recently, the Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) Award in 2021.

I am a Fellow of the West African Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science and the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria. I hold membership in several professional bodies, including the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN), Nigeria Biosafety Association (NiBSA), Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), American Society for Microbiology (ASM), British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC), and the African Biological Safety Association (AfBSA).