Dr. James Onyemata is a Research Scientist at the International Research Center of Excellence (IRCE) of the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria and a molecular biologist by training. He obtained his Ph.D. in Biotechnology from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. He holds a joint Master’s of Science Degree in Structural Biology from Universities of Cape Town and the Western Cape, a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Biotechnology and Microbiology from the Universities of the Western Cape and Nigeria, respectively.

Dr. Onyemata is skilled in gene amplification, cloning, sequencing, recombinant protein expression and purification, characterization, detection of recombinant expressed protein, modeling, structure and functional studies of proteins using X-ray Crystallography and Nuclei Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy.

Dr. Onyemata is an EDCTP-TDR Clinical Research and Development Fellow. He has extensive experience in the sequencing of HIV from patients suspected to be failing Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) to understand the molecular basis for HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) and for sub-typing. He serves as the laboratory lead in IRCE and the external quality control officer of the Institute of Human Virology H3Africa Biorepository (I-HAB) where he provides molecular biology based support in all areas of its operation. Dr. Onyemata’s areas of interest include genomics, proteomics, rational drug discovery, metabolomics, sequencing, vaccine design and production and Clinical Trials.