Morgan State Postdoctoral Researcher Awarded American Association of University Women Fellowship

$30K Fellowship to Support Morgan State Chemist in Anti-Cancer Research

Omosalewa Olaoluwa, Ph.D., a Morgan State University postdoctoral researcher in Chemistry, has been awarded a $30,000 fellowship from the American Association of University Women (AAUW) for 2022-23 to pursue academic work and lead innovative community projects to empower women and girls.

AAUW is one of the world’s oldest and most steadfast advocates for graduate women’s education, providing more than $135 million in fellowships, grants, and awards to 13,000 women from 150 countries. Additionally, for the 2022-23 academic year, the organization has awarded an astounding $6 million in fellowships and grants to 320 scholars and community projects promoting education and equity for women and girls. 

Central to Dr. Olaoluwa’s AAUW fellowship will be her research on the palliative properties of herbal medicines. In addition, she will have the added benefit of engaging experts within the chemistry industry and other STEM-related fields. 

“My research is centered on discovery of anti-cancer ingredients from medicinal plants [and how] these bioactive ingredients may be new drug-leads,” said Dr. Olaoluwa. “The AAUW International fellowship is a huge financial aid for me to pursue my research without distractions while acquiring hands-on experience with state-of-the-art instruments.” 

Women are disproportionately burdened by student debt, which is exacerbated by a lifelong pay gap that affects them in nearly every profession. The pay gap widens over time and has far-reaching negative consequences for women’s economic security, ranging from making it difficult to pay for college to limiting their ability to save for retirement. 

“We’re proud to support the work of these outstanding scholars and community leaders,” said Gloria L. Blackwell, AAUW’s Chief Executive Officer. “These exceptional awardees are dedicated to making contributions in a wide range of fields. We’re impressed by their work and can’t wait to see the great things they’ll accomplish throughout their research and careers.”

Dr. Olaoluwa’s research in chemistry and awarded fellowship strengthens Morgan State University’s continued momentum and pursuit of R1 ‘Very High Research’ Carnegie Classification.