Wadzani Palnam Dauda is a researcher, an academic mentor, and a life coach currently serving as a faculty member at the Federal University Gashua, Nigeria. His illustrious career is marked by over 130 scholarly publications reflecting his unwavering commitment to advancing scientific discourse. He was ranked number 10th by SciVal/SCOPUS in two different fields, Biological Sciences and Agricultural Science, among 500 prolific authors from 58 different countries in Africa. He holds esteemed positions, including Editorial Board memberships for Frontiers in Genome Editing, PLOS ONE, Springer Nature, Taylor & Francis, and Elsevier journals. Recognized for his scholarly eminence, he has received accolades and grants from prestigious organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNESCO, Regeneron, American Phytopathological Society (APS), American Society of Microbiology (ASM), Department of Biotechnology (DBT) India, World Academy of Science (TWAS) Italy, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), and the prestigious M.J. Thirumalachar Merit Award for Young Scientists in 2022. His extensive research interests encompass diverse domains, including disease detection, mycotoxicology, agricultural microbiology, genome editing, and bioinformatics. His intellectual versatility is further highlighted by his memberships in renowned societies such as the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB), International Society for Molecular Plant–Microbe Interactions (IS-MPMI), Society for Applied Microbiology (SfAM), American Phytopathological Society (APS), American Society for Microbiology (ASM), the Nigerian Young Academy (NYA), and the Royal Society of Biology (RSB), UK. He has been invited as a keynote speaker at various national and international institutions and conferences, including the UNESCO International Centre for Biotechnology in Nsukka, Nigeria; the Doctoral Academy of Nigeria (DAN); National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN); University of Jos; Nnamdi Azikiwe University; Annamalai University; and several others. He holds the esteemed title of Fellow of the Society for Plant Research (FSPR). He is the Director of Research and Development at the Academic and Grant Writing Enclave (AGE). Charles Oluwaseun Adetunji is a distinguished scholar in the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Edo State University, Uzairue (EDSU), Edo State, Nigeria. His research integrates biological techniques and microbial bioprocesses to advance sustainable development goals and foster agrarian transformation through impactful teaching, research, and community service. He currently serves as the Director of Research and Innovation and Chairman of the Grant Committee at EDSU, having previously held positions including Acting Director of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer, Head of Department, Sub-Dean, and Dean of the Faculty of Science. He delivered the university’s 11th Inaugural Lecture, titled "Microbial Biosphere: The Global Impact and Underexplored Currency," and was elected as a Senate representative for the Vice-Chancellor selection committee. He began his career at the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), Ilorin, where he advanced from Research Officer II to Principal Scientist. His pioneering work improved food safety, shelf-life extension, and post-harvest technology. He later joined Landmark University, Omu-Aran, and served as a visiting fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Wageningen Centre for Development and Innovation, Netherlands. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (UK), the Biotechnology Society of Nigeria, the Nigerian Society of Microbiology, and the Nigerian Young Academy. He holds visiting professorships at Precious Cornerstone University, Trinity University, and the University of Johannesburg, among others. He serves as an external examiner and assessor for universities across Nigeria, Finland, South Africa, and Ethiopia and as an instructor at the University of the People, USA. His global recognition includes being listed in Stanford University’s "World’s Top 2% Scientists" rankings (2023–2025) and named among ScholarGPS’s 2024 Top 0.5% of Scholars globally in Life Sciences and Microbiology. With over 900 publications, including 60 books, 600 book chapters, and several patents, he has published in top journals such as Nature Medicine and The Lancet. His Google Scholar i10-Index exceeds 260. He is ranked first among Nigeria’s top 500 prolific authors in Microbiology and Agricultural Sciences by SciVal/SCOPUS (Elsevier). He also serves as a book series editor with Wiley, Elsevier, Springer, and Taylor & Francis. A global scientific leader, he has delivered keynote and plenary lectures at over 100 international conferences and reviews manuscripts for more than 100 journals, including Nature and PLOS One. His research contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals have been acknowledged by Elsevier. He currently presides as President and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Bioinformatics and Genomics Network Society and Vice-President of the Biotechnology Society of Nigeria. He has served on international committees, including the African Union Development Agency–NEPAD, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and Africa Research Excellence Fund (UK). Additionally, he consults for the Governments of Serbia and South Africa and coordinates the 1000 Scientific Trials Programme by Harvest Harmonics (USA) across 58 countries. A mentor to numerous scholars globally, he guides postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers in translational and innovative science. Through his leadership, EDSU has signed over 30 international MoUs. As convener of the annual Recent Advances in Biotechnology Conference, he continues to inspire groundbreaking collaboration and innovation in microbiology, biotechnology, and bioinformatics.
