UNIZIK Gets New Vice Chancellor – Prof. Charles Esimone.
The Governing Council and Senate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka on Tuesday 14th May 2019 elected Professor Charles Okechukwu Esimone as the new Vice Chancellor of the institution.
Until his appointment, Prof. Esimone was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of the university.
The new VC was born in Tiko, Cameroon. He graduated from St. Joseph’s College Sasse, Cameroon and with B. Pharm, M. Pharm and Ph.D. from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).
He is a Professor of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Microbiology in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University and the Pioneer Dean of the Faculty.
Esimone became a professor at the age of 37, emerging as the youngest professor in the University and her first professor of Pharmacy as well as the first professor of Pharmaceutical Microbiology in Southeastern Nigeria.
He has well over 200 publications and speaks good English, French, and German. He is a recipient of several awards which include the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship to Germany (2003-2005), Visiting Scientist to the University of Pittsburgh, USA (2007-2008), the ANDI Bright Contest Award for the Best African Innovative Researcher, South Africa (2009), Young Scientist representing Nigeria at the “Summer Davos” Annual Meeting of New Champions, Tianjin, China (2010) and the CV Raman Senior Fellowship, India (2013).
The new UNIZIK VC is a member of the Governing Council of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, the Nnamdi Azikiwe University and the Nanomedicine Society of Nigeria. He is indeed the Pioneer National President of the Nanomedicine Society of Nigeria. He has successfully supervised over 50 postgraduate students. He is a recipient of various national and international grants and a reviewer to several national and international journals.
He is a member of several professional bodies including the Global Young Academy and the American Society for Cell Biology. Prof. Esimone is a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Pharmacy.
Prof. Esimone is the State Campus Coordinator for Deeper Life Campus Fellowship, Anambra State and also a member, BOT (Board of Trustees) of Anchor University, Lagos. He is happily married and the marriage is blessed with three boys and two girls.
