Professor Anthony I. Okoh

University of Sharjah, UAE

Professor Anthony I. Okoh is a distinguished microbiologist and academic leader, currently serving as a full Professor of Microbiology at the University of Fort Hare, South Africa. He has held several leadership positions within the institution, including Head of the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology (2009–2015), Leader of the Water Research Niche Area since 2013, and Director of the SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Centre (2015–2025). He also serves as the Deputy Dean for Research and Internationalisation in the Faculty of Science and Agriculture.

Professor Okoh’s research specializes in applied and environmental microbiology, focusing on water and wastewater quality, microbial genomics, antibiotic resistance, bioremediation, emerging pollutants, and the search for novel bioactive compounds. He has supervised over 60 PhD and 75 MSc students, and his research group is known for its strong postgraduate mentorship and impactful scientific contributions. His work has yielded over 520 peer-reviewed journal articles, one patent, and numerous conference papers. He has an H-index of approximately 83 and over 30,000 citations, making him one of the most cited microbiologists in South Africa.

Prof Oghenekaro Nelson Odume

Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, South Africa

Professor Oghenekaro Nelson Odume, PhD, leads the Institute for Water Research (IWR) at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa. He earned his BSc (Hons) in Zoology from Delta State University, Nigeria, and both his MSc and PhD in Water Resource Science at Rhodes. His academic training and research career center on water resource science, with deep expertise in aquatic ecology, ecotoxicology, and environmental water quality.

His research focuses on the science‑policy‑practice interface within social‑ecological systems. He leads multi‑stakeholder and multi‑country collaborations aimed at improving water quality, protecting river catchments, advancing water security and equity, safeguarding livelihoods, and creating tools to address contested water issues. These initiatives blend field ecology, policy engagement, capacity building, and governance equity, seeking to translate rigorous science into sustainable water stewardship .

Prof Sammy Sam-Wobo

Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta

Prof. Sammy Olufemi Hanacho Sam-Wobo,a Public Health Parasitologist and Epidemiologistis the National President of Parasitology and Public Health Society of Nigeria (PPSN). He works with the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB) in the Department of Pure and Applied Zoology where he serves on several university committees amongst which were Chair, FUNAAB Sports Committee from 2010-2014, 2017-2020; member of Senate, and Head, Department of Pure and Applied Zoology from 2017-2020.

He was the 6th Editor-in-Chief of Nigerian Journal of Parasitology (NJP) from 2014-2021; and had over seen the World Health Organization/African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (WHO/APOC) Cross Country study on the elimination of onchocerciasis in South Western Nigeria as Principal Investigator/Team Leader from 2007-2012.

Prof. Sam-Wobo who holds a PhD in Parasitology had attended some professional trainings: Research Methodology and Manuscript Writing Workshop organized by Association of Editors of Scholarly Publications in Nigeria (AESPN) at Abuja, Nigeria; World Health Organization (WHO) Training of Trainers’ for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in the African Region at Lusaka, Zambia; International course on Strengthening Contemporary School Health, Nutrition and HIV Prevention Programmes at Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research Accra, Ghana; WHO/APOC/SIZ Entomology Techniques Training for Multi-country Blackfly Migration research at Makeni-Sierra Leone; Training Workshop on Writing Grant Winning Research proposals; Workshop on Teaching and Academic administration on the Nigerian University Systems, and United Nations Department of Safety and Security BSAFE course amongst others.