Spotlight on ANSSIR Alumni Excellence: Onyeka Onyenemezu – Pioneering Robust Microbial Pathways for Sustainable Bioproduction

We at ANSSIR are incredibly proud to highlight the outstanding achievements of our alumni who continue to make waves in science and engineering long after their time in Russia. Today, we feature Onyeka Onyenemezu, a brilliant ANSSIRite from the Voronezh chapter who has taken her education to new heights in the United States.

Onyeka was one of the Nigerian students awarded the prestigious FSB Bilateral Education Agreement Scholarship in 2016. She excelled in Voronezh State University of Engineering Technologies and graduated with a “Red Diploma” in Energy- and Resource-Saving Processes in Chemical Technology, Petrochemistry and Biotechnology as the only non-native Russian language speaker in her cohort to achieve this distinction.

Now, Onyeka is a Ph.D student in Chemical and Biological Engineering at Iowa State University, where she is working at the forefront of microbial engineering research focused on sustainable bioproduction. Her groundbreaking project focuses on engineering robust microbial pathways using Escherichia coli as the model organism. Her work involves rationally engineering these pathways by using literature assay data and proteomics to identify proteins affected by high temperature and low pH, then repairing these proteins or replacing them with robust homologs using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. This, in turn, increases the robustness of the organism to these stresses. Her research is of great importance as it addresses multi-million-dollar inefficiencies in fermentation processes. Onyeka’s research integrates bioinformatics and rational strain design to accelerate discovery, positioning her work for rapid industrial translation. The innovative results of her project have direct real-world applications in the pharmaceutical, food and energy industry.

Beyond the lab, Onyeka is an active member of the Graduate Society of Women Engineers (GradSWE). Onyeka exemplifies the transformative impact of the ANSSIR scholarship. We can’t wait to see what she does next! Proud of you, Onyeka! 🇳🇬🇷🇺🇺🇸

#ANSSIRAlumni #Biotechnology #MetabolicEngineering #SustainableBioproduction #WomenInSTEM #NigerianExcellence