GRI Employee Spotlight
Moses Ayoola, PH.D.
Title: Postdoctoral Associate
Time at GRI: Since May 2021
Hometown: Osun State, Nigeria
Q: What is your academic background?
I have a Bachelor of Science degree in General Biochemistry from Olabisi
Onabanjo University, Ogun State, Nigeria and a Master of Science in Medical
Biochemistry from University of Nigeria, Enugu State, Nigeria. I initially
started my Ph.D. in Infectious Disease with a minor in Computer Science;
however, I decided to combine my interest and degrees into one and earned my
PhD. in Computational Biology.
Q: What are your research interests?
My primary research interest is in infectious diseases in humans and animals. I
enjoy applying functional genomics approaches such as transcriptomics,
proteomics, and metabolomics to study host-pathogen interactions during
infection. For example, some of my recent work is in the area of studying the
regulation of bacterial capsule, the outermost polysaccharide structure of the
cell that helps evade host immune response, specifically in Streptococcus
pneumoniae.
Q: Who inspired you to pursue the career you have today?
My master’s advisor, Professor Ikechukwu Ezeagu is who helped influenced the
work I do today. Also, while working for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) the numerous
sick children and elderly patients I worked with, including my major Professor
Dr. Ezeagu, further increased my desire to want to help eradicate diseases such
as pneumonia. My PhD advisor, Dr. Bindu Nanduri who is passionate about the
field of pneumonia, polyamines, and bioinformatics continues to inspire me and
strengthen my desire to contribute to this field of study.
Q: What is working with GRI like?
Working at GRI has allowed me to learn from Dr. Mahalingam Ramkumar (CSE) and
colleagues who work in a diverse environment with expertise from a wide range
of disciplines.
"Because GRI is composed of people with a variety of academic backgrounds, expertise, and research interests (epidemiology, agriculture, ecology, remote sensing, and ecology to name a few) the potential for learning and collaboration is endless."
Q: What kinds of hobbies and interests do you have outside of work?
In my spare time, I enjoy learning to play piano and swimming.
Learn more about Dr. Ayoola’s recent work in relation to the spread of Salmonella in poultry farms:
An Ensemble Learning Approach to Identify Pastured Poultry Farm
Practice Variables and Soil Constituents that Promote Salmonella
Prevalence
Preharvest Environmental and Management Drivers of Multidrug
Resistance in Major Bacterial Zoonotic Pathogens in Pastured Poultry Flocks