AFRICA | 25-year-old Nigerian lady, Serena Omo-Lama has achieved remarkable success after earning a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania, United States.
Her outstanding research and academic performance also earned her the prestigious Global and Community Engagement Award.
Serena’s higher academic journey to the US began in 2016 when she made national headlines for securing admission into 13 universities across the United States and Canada—an exceptional feat for a high school graduate of Dowen College, Lagos Nigeria.
Among the universities were Emory University, New York University (NYU), and Georgia Institute of Technology. However, she ultimately chose Syracuse University to study Biomedical Engineering.
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According to her, her decision to pick Syracuse University was influenced by the school’s world-class research facilities and a $51,000 scholarship attached to the admission.
Despite her initial goal of becoming a medical engineer, she decided to pursue Bioengineering to build a strong foundation in medical technology.
Serena’s time at Syracuse University was marked by academic excellence and leadership. In 2020, she graduated top of her class and was honored as the Student Commencement Speaker for the graduating class.
But Serena’s academic journey was not done yet. With a deep passion for medical innovation, she applied for a PhD program in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, one of the leading research institutions in the world.
During her PhD studies, Serena focused her research on mRNA lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), investigating how these particles could be used to target the lungs and brain for treating conditions like stroke and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Her groundbreaking work earned her a PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship in Drug Delivery, an award given to only 17 researchers globally. Through this fellowship, she received funding support from a $1.3 million research pool to advance her studies.
Serena was also recognized with the Global and Community Engagement Award for her work in understanding the side effects of lung-tropic lipid nanoparticles. Looking forward, Serena is excited to continue learning and contributing to the field.
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