- Metabolic diseases eg diabetes, hepatitis
- Cancer research
- Phytochemistry and Antioxidants
- Natural Product Chemistry
- Immunology
Kelly Oriakhi, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar
Dr Kelly Oriakhi attended University Staff School, Benin City, for his primary education and Adolo College, where he obtained his West African School Certificate in 2000. He proceeded to the University of Benin in 2002, where he obtained a diploma in Food and Brewing Science with a Distinction in 2004. He later got admission into Biochemistry at the University of Benin in 2004, where he graduated with a B.Sc Honours, Second Class Upper Division in 2007, and obtained his M.Sc and Ph.D. degrees (Biochemistry) in 2012 and 2017, respectively.
He started his teaching career as a graduate assistant on November 15th, 2010, and then rose through the ranks to his present position as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Medical Biochemistry, University of Benin, Nigeria.
Dr. Oriakhi is a recipient of various awards; he was an awardee of the prestigious Third World Academy of Science, Italy (TWAS) as part of his PhD research at the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Pakistan. He also won a Tetfund grant for postgraduate studies. After bagging his Ph.D. in 2017, he was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Rostock, Germany, sponsored by the German Research Foundation (DFG) in 2018. He is a commonwealth scholar of the prestigious commonwealth profession fellowship in the University of East London, United Kingdom. Currently, he is a Postdoctoral Scholar in Chappell’s Lab, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, US, where he is evaluating adjuvant vaccine (Evax) synthesized by the Chappells lab against influenza and SARS-COV2 viruses. This project is sponsored by NIH/Enepret contract.
His research ability and academic leadership are glaringly reflected in his commendable achievements, as attested by his reputable publications in high impact factor Journals and uncommon mentoring disposition to colleagues within and outside the Department/University.
Expertise
We wish to remember and honor those who inhabited this Commonwealth before the arrival of the Europeans. Briefly occupying these lands were the Osage, Wyndott tribe, and Miami peoples. The Adena and Hopewell peoples, who are recognized by the naming of the time period in which they resided here, were here more permanently. Some of their mounds remain in the Lexington area, including at UK’s Adena Park.
In more recent years, the Cherokee occupied southeast Kentucky, the Yuchi southwest Kentucky, the Chickasaw extreme western Kentucky and the Shawnee central Kentucky including what is now the city of Lexington. The Shawnee left when colonization pushed through the Appalachian Mountains. Lower Shawnee Town ceremonial grounds are still visible in Greenup County.
We honor the first inhabitants who were here, respect their culture, and acknowledge the presence of their descendants who are here today in all walks of life including fellow pharmacists and healthcare professionals.