PhD candidate in molecular genetics wins global scholarship
Published: July 18, 2019
Chidozie Ojobor, a PhD candidate in the department of molecular genetics in the Faculty of Medicine, was named one of four recipients of the Global Citizen scholarship from MPOWER Financing, a Washington, D.C.-based company that offers loans to international students.
The $5,000 scholarships were awarded on the strength of applicants' essay submissions. Ojobor’s submission identified the need to address the threat of superbugs. By developing tailocins, Ojobor has been able to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the lab. His hope is that he can genetically engineer them to overpower superbugs as cases arise – with treatments in the form of pills and other therapies.
He is the first Canadian university student to win the scholarship. He was picked by MPOWER staff out of 1,121 eligible applications – which they cite as a record number of applicants.
