The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has commissioned a new Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Learning Hub to strengthen research, practical learning and manpower development in emerging areas of biological sciences.
The facility, located at the Faculty of Life Sciences, was donated by the immediate past Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics and Research) of the university, Prof. Bolanle Oboh.
Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, while speaking during the commissioning of the hub, urged members of the university community to take the initiative in solving societal problems rather than waiting for assistance.
Ogunsola said the establishment of the hub demonstrates the importance of starting projects even when their eventual outcome was uncertain, stressing that people could not remain stagnant and expect help to come.
She said the university had determined to be a solution provider, noting that it had the faculty and students required to contribute to solving societal challenges.
The vice-chancellor, however, acknowledged that the university could not achieve its goals alone, stressing the importance of partnership with individuals and organisations locally and internationally.
She also called on members of the university community to contribute to the institution’s development, saying that collective contributions, whether big or small, could make a significant difference.
Earlier, Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences, Prof. Ganiu Oyetibo, said the establishment of the hub was necessitated by the growing importance of computational analysis in modern biological research.
He noted that advances in areas such as genome sequencing had led to the generation of massive biological data, which must be properly analysed and interpreted to produce meaningful scientific knowledge.
He, however, identified a shortage of expertise in bioinformatics and computational biology in Nigeria as a major gap the facility was established to address.
He urged researchers and students to maximise the opportunities provided by the facility and use it to advance research and collaboration.
Oboh, who donated the facility, spoke on the journey behind its establishment and the need to improve computational capacity within the biological sciences.
She also stressed the importance of collaboration and building a strong network that would enable students and researchers to access the expertise and resources required to advance their work.
