This blog is written in English, and is also available in Nigerian Pidgin.
We recently announced the ninth cohort of Open Seeds - OLS-9, our open science training and mentoring program. As part of this cohort, we have created a Resident Fellow role, which was announced with an invitation for applications from our facilitator community.
We are grateful to all our applicants who presented strong project plans and shared their vision for this role. Since we could only offer one position, the decision was based on the applicant’s project goals and the feasibility of the OLS team to support them over the next eight months as part of the Open Seeds OLS-9 delivery plans.
We are delighted to announce that Seun has been offered this role of the OLS Resident Fellow! Seun will work with Malvika Sharan and Tajuddeen (Taj) Gwadabe as part of the OLS-9 delivery team.
A Biochemistry Researcher and Champion of Open Practices
Seun, a biochemistry graduate from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, is passionate about understanding the molecular pathogenesis of disease and developing therapeutic against it. He is also a strong champion of digital skills and open science. He is a Graduate Research Intern at the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria, studying the molecular mechanism of disease progression. He is also a Research and Teaching Assistant at Helix Biogen Institute, where he supports translational research and training in bioinformatics and vaccine design. Although an Early Career Researcher himself, Seun has published eight peer-reviewed articles.
Wearing Many Hats in Open Science
In his commitment to improve bioinformatics and open science skills for the Early Career Researchers in his community, Seun contributes to many intiatives. As a former OLS Open Seeds mentee (Cohort 7), he co-founded Bioinformatics Outreach Nigeria project to address lack of opportunities for bioinformatics training in Nigeria and mobilise a critical mass of young scientists who embrace open science principles.
He has recently been named a PREreview champion and ASAPbio fellow (2024) that aims to promote equitable access to decentralized knowledge via preprints. He also serves as a hub champion for the Catalyst program in his region and will support his network to engage with the OLS-9 Catalyst Track that Taj is leading.
Resident Fellowship to Build Community Leadership Capacity
Seun’s work in OLS will focus on developing community management and leadership skills as he continues to lead and grow the Bioinformatics Outreach Nigeria Project with members of his community. He will be mentored by Malvika and connect with the broader OLS team, receiving an opportunity to get acquainted with the broad range of work that the organization undertakes.
His Resident Fellowship will cover two aspects of OLS:
- Through his participation in the OLS-9 Delivery team he will be given hands-on experience in how community-oriented training is organised. He will work with Malvika in coordinating specificaly the OLS-9 DRI-EDIA Track.
- He will receive 1:1 coaching and supported to build skills and expertise through which he can extend the reach of bioinformatics and open science skills to his local communities. Specifically, he will be supported to repurpose Open Seeds training resources and connect with the broader open science network.
Join us in welcoming Seun!