Ify Aniebo

Ify Aniebo
Born	Ifeyinwa Aniebo (1984-09-13) 13 September 1984 (age 40)
Education	Queen Mary University of London Nottingham University University of Oxford London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Harvard Chan School of Public Health
Known for	The inclusion of genomic surveillance into Nigeria’s malaria elimination strategy

Ifeyinwa "Ify" Aniebo (born 13 September 1984) is a British-Nigerian molecular geneticist, infectious disease and global health expert, who has worked on inclusion of genomic surveillance into Nigeria's national malaria elimination strategy. She has contributed to malaria and infectious diseases research, and is also an advocate for science education and communication in Africa. ^{[1] [2]}

Background and education

Aniebo is the daughter of Brigadier-General Augustine Aniebo, who served as the Military Administrator of the Borno and Kogi States of Nigeria. She is married to Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, a Nigerian architect, entrepreneur and politician. ^{[3] [4]}

Aniebo was inspired to pursue a career in molecular genetics after a personal experience with malaria as a child. ^[2] She has a Bachelor of Science in Genetics and Microbiology from Queen Mary University, London, an MSc in Applied Biomolecular Technology from the University of Nottingham, a Master of Research and Public Health (MPH) and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Oxford. She received a PhD in Clinical Medicine and Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), focusing on malaria drug resistance. ^{[5] [6]}

Career and research

Her research focuses on understanding malaria drug resistance and integrating genomics data into malaria surveillance systems. ^{[5] [7]} Her work includes nationwide research, collecting over 10,000 blood samples from children across all 36 states in Nigeria. ^[2] She was appointed as an associate professor at the age of 38, and is rated as one of the intellectual amazons in the field of Genomics in Africa. ^[6] She is a core panel member of the Future of Health and Economic Resiliency in Africa (FHERA) at Harvard University, alongside leaders Muhammad Ali Pate, Awa Marie Coll Seck, and John Nkengason, amongst others. ^[8]

She has held positions at various institutions:

• HIV Research Associate at the Clinton Health Access Initiative ^[9]
• Takemi Fellow in International Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health ^[10]
• Senior Research Scientist at the Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation in Lagos, Nigeria ^[11]
• Associate Research Professor of Molecular Biology and Genomics at the Institute of Genomics and Global Health (IGH), formerly African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Disease – ACEGID. ^[6]

Science communication advocacy

Dr. Aniebo is an advocate for science education and communication. She founded AfroScientric, a social enterprise dedicated to inspiring and mentoring young African women to pursue careers in STEM fields. ^[12] Through AfroScientric, she has partnered with organizations like Nature and Springer Nature to deliver virtual training workshops on sharing and communicating scientific discoveries to early career researchers in Africa. ^[13]

Aniebo uses social media platforms, particularly X (formerly Twitter), to advocate and share insights on a variety of topics and African development-related issues: ^[14]

• The use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture and health ^{[15] [16] [17]}
• The need for increased investment in research and development in Africa, ^[18]
• The decolonization of global health ^[19] and
• Governance reforms in malaria control. ^[20]

Publications and awards

She has written about health research investment in Africa, global health governance, and the surveillance of infectious diseases. ^{[21] [19] [22]}

She has received several awards and honors:

• New Voices Fellow, Aspen Institute (2016) ^[23]
• Winner Young Person of the Year (2010), The Future Awards, Nigeria ^[24]
• Winner Best Use of Science (2010), The Future Awards, Nigeria ^[24]

• Recipient of a Calestous Juma Fellowship award from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ^[2]

References

1. "Strengthening Nigeria's surveillance system for malaria elimination by integrating molecular and genomic data". MESA Malaria Knowledge Hub. June 11, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
2. "Ify Aniebo". gcgh.grandchallenges.org. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
3. "Aniebo: A True Nigerian Military Hero – Independent Newspaper Nigeria". independent.ng. 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-07-16. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
4. eribake, akintayo (2023-03-02). "Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour: The Man for a New Lagos". Vanguard News. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
5. Aniebo, I. (2018-02-23). PfK13-Independent determinants of susceptibility of African Plasmodium falciparum to artemisinin and partner drugs in vitro (doctoral thesis). London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. doi:10.17037/pubs.04648781.
6. RedeemersADMuser. "ACEGID'S Intellectual Amazon, Dr. Ifeyinwa Aniebo Becomes Associate Research Professor" . Retrieved 2025-06-30.
7. "Harnessing the Power of Science Against Malaria". www.grandchallenges.org. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
8. https://hsph.harvard.edu/research/health-economic-resiliency-africa/}}
9. "Ify Aniebo • Aspen Global Innovators" . Retrieved 2025-06-30.
10. "Past Fellows | Takemi Program in International Health | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health". 2024-10-14. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
11. Aniebo, Ify. "Genomic Surveillance Is a Key Weapon in the Fight against Malaria". Scientific American. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
12. "Leadership". AfroScientric. 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
13. "Supporting and enabling scientific potential in Africa | Advancing Discovery | Springer Nature". www.springernature.com. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
14. "In Conversation with Dr. Ify Aniebo: The GMO issue (Part 1". edusounds.com. Archived from the original on 2025-03-19. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
15. Julius Okeke | Political Reporter (2014-06-18). "Ify Aniebo: Why Nigerians Should Beware Of Genetically Modified Foods - The Trent". The Trent. Archived from the original on 2025-04-30. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
16. HOMEf. "Nigerian Academy of Science's Curious Stand on GMOs | Health of Mother Earth Foundation" . Retrieved 2025-06-30.
17. Aniebo, Ify. "Africa Doesn't Need Genetically Modified Mosquitoes". Scientific American. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
18. Erondu, Ngozi A.; Aniebo, Ifeyinwa; Kyobutungi, Catherine; Midega, Janet; Okiro, Emelda; Okumu, Fredros (May 2021). "Open letter to international funders of science and development in Africa". Nature Medicine. 27 (5): 742–744. doi:10.1038/s41591-021-01307-8. ISSN   1546-170X. PMC   7613536 . PMID   33859410.
19. Bump, Jesse B.; Aniebo, Ifeyinwa (2022). "Colonialism, malaria, and the decolonization of global health". PLOS Global Public Health. 2 (9): e0000936. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000936 . ISSN   2767-3375. PMC   10021769 . PMID   36962810.
20. Ohiri, Kelechi; Aniebo, Ifeyinwa; Akinlade, Oluwafunmilayo (2022-09-27). "Rethinking malaria: Governance lessons from other disease programs". PLOS Global Public Health. 2 (9): e0000966. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000966 . ISSN   2767-3375. PMC   10021884 . PMID   36962609.
21. Aniebo, Ifeyinwa (February 2024). "Investment in African research and development will boost health and economic growth". Nature Medicine. 30 (2): 326. doi:10.1038/s41591-023-02746-1. ISSN   1546-170X. PMID   38238617.
22. Aniebo, Ify (2019-07-01). "Genomic Surveillance Could Make a Big Difference in the Fight against Malaria". Scientific American. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
23. "PhD candidate, Clinical Medicine and Infectious Tropic Diseases, Oxford University | Aspen Ideas". Aspen Ideas Festival. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
24. "TFAA 2010 Winners List". The Future Awards Africa. Retrieved 2025-06-30.