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Dr. Chukwumaobim Nwokwu (who loves to be called "Mazi", an Igbo salutatory title),
completed his Ph.D. studies in Molecular Science and Nanotechnology at Louisiana Tech
University, where he concurrently bagged a second Master’s degree in Engineering and
Technology Management. Prior to that, he was awarded the Government of Sri Lanka Presidential
Scholarship for Foreign Scholars which was tenable at the Institute of Biochemistry,
Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IBMBB), University of Colombo, where he obtained
his M.S. degree in Molecular Life Sciences with a distinction. His Bachelor’s degree
is in Biochemistry (First Class Honors).
Dr. Nwokwu is an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and the Head of the Biomimetics
and Modeling Lab (BM2L) at Florida Gulf Coast University where he teaches Biochemistry,
General Chemistry, and Nanotechnology. His research program broadly explores activity-directed
discoveries of novel inhibitors sourced from natural products as a possible anti-cancer
strategy. He also deploys biotechnology and nanotechnology towards the packaging and
delivery of drugs, as well as towards environmental bioremediation efforts, with particular
focus on the monitoring and mitigation of harmful algal blooms (HABs). He works closely
with College students in research and has mentored over 15 students.
Chuma, as he is generally known by colleagues and friends, has garnered a combined
14-year research and college-level teaching experience. During his early research
days, he collaborated with and jointly published journal papers with internationally
acclaimed nutritional and medical biochemists and toxicologists on the in vivo toxicological
profiling of traditionally recognized medicinal plants in rodent models. While in
Sri Lanka, he began to explore the therapeutic potentials of natural compounds in
cancer therapy and the investigation of biocompatible nanoformulations (with liposomes
and chitosan as excipients) to achieve optimal payload delivery to improve their anti-proliferative
activity and safety profile. Dr. Nwokwu's doctoral work focused on the development
of a technology for purification and genetic analyses of exosomes and short regulatory
RNAs. This direct, one-step exosome sampling tool (ExoPRIME Microprobe Technology)
achieved selective capture of antigen-specific CD63+ exosome subpopulations using
an amalgam of polymer-based thin film coating/deposition and immune-affinity protocols
[Published in the journal, Talanta].
Based on his scholarly distinction and visible contribution to the advancement of
the scientific enterprise, Mazi Chuma has been inducted as a member of several distinguished
national and international professional associations and societies in the field of
biomedical science and research. He is a member of American Chemical Society (ACS);
Society for Redox Biology and Medicine (SfRBM); Society for Free Radical Research
International (SFRR-I); Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES); and the Nigerian Society
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (NSBMB), which invited him to deliver a plenary
lecture at their 41st Annual Scientific Conference in July 2025.
Besides his academic and research work, Mazi Chuma is involved in leadership, community
service, and extracurricular activities (freelance writing, advocacy, soccer, board
games, etc.).
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