CAMBRIDGE, MA, March 31, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Dr. Olakunle Adeboye Jaiyesimi, BPharm, MSc, PhD, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Dr. Jaiyesimi is a metabolomics scientist working at the intersection of environmental exposure, human health, and precision medicine. He has established a distinguished career in metabolomics, systems biology and medicinal plant research, marked by significant contributions to both academia and industry. Since 2022, he has been a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, where his expertise in small-molecule profiling and metabotyping has been central to his research. In 2024, Dr. Jaiyesimi traveled to Ogoniland, Nigeria, a region challenged by crude oil pollution and its adverse effects on local communities. Supported by Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa from the Motsepe Foundation, managed by Harvard University in collaboration with Host, Prof. Cassandra G. Extavour, Harvard University/HHMI and Professor Amos Abolaji at the University of Ibadan, he led a research project utilizing metabolomics and biochemistry to assess the health impacts of environmental contamination on living systems, soil and water. Despite facing security risks, including a near-kidnapping incident, Dr. Jaiyesimi and his team collected vital samples across several communities, contributing to ongoing efforts to understand the detrimental effects of pollution on both human and ecological health.

He is spearheading the African Metabolome Project, a large-scale effort to generate population-level metabolomic datasets for precision medicine, while also developing the South-West Botanical Conservation & Bio-Innovation Center to integrate biodiversity conservation with metabolomics-driven discovery and translational research.

From 2019 to 2020, and 2020 to 2022, Dr. Jaiyesimi was a research scientist and postdoctoral researcher respectively at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology. During this period, he advanced his research in metabolomics, focusing on the comprehensive analysis of small molecules that shed light on the interactions between hosts and their associated microbes. His work contributed to a deeper understanding of how environmental factors influence phenotypic diversity.

Between 2016 and 2019, Dr. Jaiyesimi was engaged in his doctoral studies at Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil. His research centered on investigating Brazilian and Nigerian medicinal plants for bioactive compounds with potential applications in managing diabetes and pre-diabetes. He characterized bioactive compounds, including flavonoids and sesquiterpene lactones, that may play a role in disease prevention and management.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Jaiyesimi gained practical experience as a clinical pharmacist at Paelon Memorial Hospital from 2011 to 2012. In this capacity, he applied his pharmaceutical knowledge to patient care and medication management, including preparing extemporaneous medications for his patients. Also in 2011, he worked as a medical representative for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Nigeria Limited, promoting pharmaceutical products and engaging with healthcare professionals. The previous year, he served as a business development executive at Emzor Pharmaceuticals, contributing to the company's strategic growth initiatives. His professional journey began as an intern pharmacist at GSK Nigeria from 2008 to 2009.

Dr. Jaiyesimi's expertise in metabolomics has garnered recognition within the scientific community. He received the Best Poster Award at the 2025 Metabolomics Association of North America Conference, held in Banff, Alberta, Canada. His Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa grant and research on environmental influences on phenotypes using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism earned him a departmental recognition at Harvard University in 2024. Early in 2026, he was featured on TV Continental and Arise News, two leading Nigerian television channels, and interviewed by The Punch and The Nation newspapers.

He is an active member of several professional organizations, including the leadership of Metabolomics Africa, membership of Metabolomics Association of North America's Precision Medicine Interest Group, and Metabolomics South Africa. He participated in the 2025 and 2026 MIT Africa Innovate Conference (AIC) Hackathons; and was an MIT AIC School Ambassador for 2026. Between 2023 and 2025, Dr. Jaiyesimi was a Member of Harvard University's Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology Community Task Force on Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging (DIB); where he also served as a Committee Chair.

Dr. Jaiyesimi's academic background has been instrumental in shaping his career trajectory. Dr. Jaiyesimi began his academic journey with a Bachelor of Pharmacy from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria (2008). He holds a Master of Science in Pharmacognosy from the same institution in Nigeria (2015), where he specialized in the study of ethnomedicinally used antidiabetic plants with an interest in the study of Africa's rich biodiversity. His interest in understanding the bioactive small molecules in the natural world led him to Brazil, where he earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Universidade de São Paulo in 2019. His understanding that medications and food ingested through the mouth do not work in isolation of the gut microbes led him to his first Postdoctoral Fellowship at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA. He continued to Harvard University to pursue research in Evolutionary Biology, within the context of Systems Biology.

In addition to his formal education, Dr. Jaiyesimi has expanded his expertise into AI-driven systems and entrepreneurship. These credentials have broadened his skill set strongly complementing traditional pharmaceutical sciences.

Dr. Jaiyesimi's research excellence has been recognized through multiple awards, including grants from the Motsepe Foundation (2024), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico under Brazil's Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (2016 to 2019), and participation in the CAPES Academic Excellence Program through Brazil's Ministry of Education (2016).

He has contributed significantly to scientific literature of peer-reviewed publications: "Metabolomic Profiling of Burkholderia Cenocepacia in Synthetic Cystic Fibrosis Sputum Medium Reveals Nutrient Environment-Specific Production of Virulence Factors," published in Scientific Reports (2021); "Differences in Cystic Fibrosis-Associated Burkholderia Spp. Bacteria Metabolomes After Exposure to the Antibiotic Trimethoprim," published in ACS Infectious Diseases (2020); and "LC-UV-HRMS Dereplication of Secondary Metabolites From Brazilian Vernonieae (Asteraceae) Species Supported Through In-House Database," published in Biochemical Systematics and Ecology (2018).

Born in Ijebu-Ode, Dr. Jaiyesimi enjoys creative engagements, systems thinking and "building things from thin air". For leisure, he enjoys edifying conversations.

Looking ahead, Dr. Jaiyesimi envisions making significant impact in bio-conservation efforts, aimed at advancing conservation and documentation of extinct and endangered indigenous medicinal (and spiritually used) plants, preserving indigenous knowledge systems with scientific tools, particularly using metabolomics, developing innovative systems for precision medicine and early disease detection; an approach aimed at transforming diagnostics and medicinal plant research while opening new opportunities for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries by documenting metabolic changes across populations worldwide over multiple generations.

Dr. Jaiyesimi's dedication to advancing scientific knowledge through research, innovation, community leadership and global collaboration continues to distinguish him within his field.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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