Obidimma Ezezika completed a PhD in Microbiology at the University of Georgia in 2006 with a focus on structural biology and the molecular genetics of bioremediation with lead-author publications in the journals of Molecular Biology, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, and Acta Crystallograhica. After which, he pursued a master’s degree in environmental management at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies focusing on environmental policy, economics and law, and was selected by his colleagues as one of the two valedictorian speakers for the graduating class of 2008 (http://environment.yale.edu/news/5663). During his time at Yale, he was awarded three fellowships on leadership and academic excellence, including an award by the Air and Waste Management Association, in recognition of excellence in environmental management, policy research and study in 2007.

At Yale, he pursued his structural biology interests through a postdoctoral fellowship at the Yale Molecular and Cellular Biology Dept, where he solved the first crystal structure of Profilin Fission Yeast, leading to a publication in the journal of Biological Chemistry (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19028693).

Just before completing his master’s program at Yale, he worked for one year with the United Nations Development Program in New York City, where he reviewed environmental projects worth $14.2 million working with 45 UNDP coordinators in Africa, Asia, Middle East, Latin America and Europe. Currently, Obidi is a Senior Research Fellow and Program Leader at the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global health at the University of Toronto where he leads an Agro-biotechnology Management and Ethics program in Africa.