Dr. Clinton Okechukwu Ifegwu holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department of the University of Lagos. He is a research scientist and lecturer in the School of Science and Technology, Pan Atlantic University. He is currently the director and lead researcher at the Centre for Applied Research on Separation Science (CAROSS). Before his short appointment as a consultant to United States Pharmacopoeia, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Institute of Regenerative Engineering, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, UCONN Health where he worked on complex musculoskeletal tissue regeneration using biomaterials, stem cells, physics, developmental biology, small molecules, bioactive factors and inducerons, drug delivery, and clinical translation. He was equally a visiting researcher at Chemistry Department of Durham University, UK where he worked on biomimetics and surface modifications. As a visiting scientist at the Chemistry Department of Rhodes University South Africa, he understudied the application of nanotechnology in the evaluation of cancer predisposition biomarkers.

Dr. Ifegwu’s research interest spans the synthesis and analysis of drug related compounds: synthesis and modification of electrospun nanofibers and nanoparticles for the pre-concentration and ultra-sensitive detection of carcinogenic biomarkers in body fluids (cancer research) as well as drug delivery applications: investigating nanotechnology for other biomedical applications. In addition, regeneration of musculoskeletal tissues with the aid of small molecules incorporated into biomaterials, stem cell technology, tissue engineering and drug delivery. He has been working on mimicking the nature of superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic plant surfaces in an attempt to fabricate hydrophobic or hydrophilic devices for real-life applications.

Dr. Ifegwu has been extensively involved in separation science projects and the evaluation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) metabolites in occupationally exposed subjects as well as the effective degradation of PAHs in line with green chemistry. He was equally involved in a research on the surveillance quality of different brands of antimalarial drugs in Nigerian and West Africa drug market, a United States Pharmacopeia (USP) antimalarial project in Africa. As a seasoned chemist with adept ability in synthesis and analysis of drugs and related compounds, he often employs simple chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques for these assays. He is currently working on Antimicrobial Drug Resistance. On the management angle, he is a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and a Project Manager. He has published widely on the aforementioned topics in reputable international journals and has contributed to a number of book chapters. He has delivered several presentations in these fields, as well as environmental remediation.