The University of Ilesa, Osun State, on Tuesday, held its first inaugural lecture delivered by Professor Abel Kolawole Oyebamiji.
Oyebamiji, a professor of Physical/Computational Chemistry delivered the lecture titled, “Molecular Intuition and Drug Discovery: Odyssey of a Computational Chemist” at the school auditorium.
The lecturer while delivering his lecture in front of the school management, staff, students, families and dignitaries which includes the Ogunsua of Modakeke, Oba Joseph Toriola and the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Taiwo Asaolu, lamented the declining interest in chemistry despite its vast contributions to daily life, industry and national development.
Prof. Oyebamiji suggested that to advance chemistry in drug discovery, the research community must foster interdisciplinary collaboration among computational chemists, biologists and medicinal chemists.
He also urged higher institutions in Nigeria to promote collaborative projects across departments and invest in research that is vital for innovation.
The university don also appealed to the government to create policies for ethical AI use, promote public-private partnership, and support data sharing to improve transparency, reproducibility and real-world application of computational models.
He said, “To advance computational chemistry in drug discovery, the research community should foster interdisciplinary collaboration among computational chemists, biologists, pharmacologists, and medicinal chemists to turn predictions into therapies.
“Universities should promote collaborative projects across departments, invest in high-performance computing and foster participation in research consortiums which are vital for innovation. Promoting entrepreneurship can also drive the commercialisation of new computational drug discovery tools.
“Government can advance computational chemistry in drug discovery by funding research, fostering academia-industry collaboration and investing in high-performance computing. They should create policies for ethical AI use, promote public-private partnership, and support data sharing to improve transparency, reproducibility and real-world application of computational models,” Prof. Oyebamiji stated.
Speaking on some of his research, the lecturer said he was able to develop compounds with high efficiency to potentially treat hypertension when compared with commercially available drugs.
Read more
•2026: Unilesa VC charges staff to redouble efforts, highlights achievements
•Ijesa Golf and Country Club Hosts PGAN’s 15th Qualifying School Seminar Programme
Prof. Oyebamiji stated that his research has been able to provide effective solutions to recurring global health challenges caused by microbes such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses through various designed plant-based and synthetic compounds.
He added that his journey in “anti-cancer drug discovery was anchored in the conviction that computational chemistry, when strategically integrated with biological insight, can accelerate the identification of potent therapeutic agents.”
“Over the years, my research journey has been driven by a deep conviction that the integration of computational chemistry,
synthetic methods, and biological validation offers a powerful pathway to discovering and optimising new antimicrobial agents. This conviction has guided a diverse body of work that spans small molecule drug design, natural product chemistry, green nanotechnology, and quantitative structure-activity modelling, all anchored by the same goal-addressing the urgent global challenge of antimicrobial resistance,” Prof. Oyebamiji noted.
In his remarks, the university Vice Chancellor, Prof. Taiwo Asaolu, commended the maiden inaugural lecturer for his outstanding career and dedication to humanity.
