Abdullahi Jamiu
ID IGEP affiliated Student
Department of Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences
Research Interests: Infectious Disease & Drug Discovery
Mentor Advisor: Kylene Kehn-Hall
abdullahijamiu45@vt.edu
Abdullahi obtained his bachelor's degree in microbiology from Al-Hikmah University in Nigeria, and went on to earn a master's degree in the same field from the University of the Free State, South Africa. His research during both degrees focused on developing potent inhibitors against antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. Abdullahi's overall research interests revolve around infectious disease and drug discovery. His interest in infectious disease is driven by the pressing need to better understand how various emerging and re-emerging pathogens like SARS-CoV-2, arboviruses, influenza virus, Ebola virus, HIV, as well as bacterial and fungal pathogens, establish and promote infections.
Abdullahi is also highly motivated to contribute to the development of novel and effective countermeasures, including drugs and vaccines, for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. He is currently investigating how the capsid protein of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), a zoonotic pathogen and select agent, impedes nucleocytoplasmic trafficking, with the aim of developing potent inhibitors against VEEV and related encephalitic viruses.
In the future, Abdullahi plans to pursue a career either in academia or industry, where he can continue conducting research on infectious diseases and developing new therapies. His ultimate goal is to make meaningful contributions to the advancement of science, while also making positive impacts on the society. Beyond his professional endeavors, Abdullahi enjoys both playing and watching soccer, as well as playing video games
What does Abdullahi like the most about ID IGEP?
Abdullahi particularly enjoys how ID IGEP gives students the opportunity to rotate in different labs in order to gain good insights into the research work and atmosphere of each lab. Moreso, it allowed better understanding of how each lab functions. This opportunity allowed him to make an informed decision at the end of his lab rotations, and he recognizes how incredible it feels to know about the lab he’s going into instead of going into it with no idea of how it will be.
If Abdullahi could give any advice to future ID IGEP students applying to the program:
“Go for it!” It’s such an amazing opportunity. ID IGEP is an incredible program to be in, the program allows students the opportunity to select advisors from a remarkable pool of faculty who conduct various multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research, so there’s a highly diverse group of people you could potentially work with. Whether you have a direct interest in infectious diseases, including in areas like disease biology, drug discovery, epidemiology, and public health, or indirect interests in areas such as bioinformatics, computational biology, and biomedical engineering you will fit well into the program and you will be able to apply your knowledge and research experiences to different fields.
