Profile

Dr. Opeyemi Lawal is a molecular bioscientist and bioinformatician with over 15 years of extensive research and teaching experience. He earned his bachelor’s degree (Hons) in microbiology from the University of Ado Ekiti (now Ekiti State University) and a master’s degree in environmental microbiology with distinction from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Dr. Lawal was awarded the prestigious Global Korean Scholarship (GKS), which enabled him to further his studies at Pai Chai University, Daejeon/Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Korea. He subsequently received the highly competitive MolBioS Ph.D. Fellowship from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, allowing him to pursue his Ph.D. in molecular biosciences at the Institute of Chemical Biology and Technology, New University of Lisbon (ITQB-NOVA), Portugal, from 2016 to 2020. Following his doctoral studies, Dr. Lawal completed postdoctoral fellowships and teaching appointments at ITQB-NOVA and the University of Guelph. He is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the School of the Environment at the University of Windsor, Canada, where he continues cutting edge research in the field.

Dr. Lawal’s research theme focuses on deciphering the adaptive features of microbes, their roles, and how they interact in complex environmental matrices including aquatic ecosystems and food systems. His work employs a One Health approach, addressing the intricate links between human, animal, and environmental health utilizing a combination of microbiology and molecular biology techniques, multi-omics, bioinformatics, and machine learning/artificial intelligence (ML/AI) approaches. Dr. Lawal's research deliverables are geared toward tackling pressing global issues related to environmental sustainability, the safety of food systems, water quality, and public health, amidst the challenges posed by climate change.

Dr. Lawal has published 45 peer-reviewed publications, one book chapter, and more than 50 presentations at national and international scientific meetings. He has obtained and contributed to research grants totalling about $800,000, alongside eight highly competitive fellowships and grants from international sources amounting to approximately $500,000 since 2016, including the Global Korean Government Scholarship (GKS), the Portuguese Government Foundation for Science and Technology MolBioS Ph.D. fellowship, and grants from the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS), and the Portuguese Society for Microbiologists, among others.

Dr. Lawal’s professional service includes serving on the editorial board as a review editor for several highly reputable journals published by ASM, Frontiers, and Springer Nature, among others. He currently serves as a member of the province of Ontario's SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Surveillance Initiative (WSI), where he leads a team focused on tracking emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater, emphasizing the intersection of public health and environmental management as a vital aspect of the One Health framework. In addition, Dr. Lawal consults for the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on the Food Safety Education Curriculum (FSEC) for the West Africa region, where he emphasizes the integration of sustainable practices in food safety education. In July 2020, Dr. Lawal co-founded Voices in STEM Nigeria (VISNG), through which he has successfully mentored over 1,500 prospective graduate study applicants from underrepresented populations in developing countries. He also facilitates molecular and computational biology/bioinformatics training for early-career scientists from these groups, empowering the next generation to address challenges in One Health and sustainability.