Chioma Nwakanma

Biography

Dr.(Mrs.) Chioma Nwakanma is an Environmental Biologist with special interest in Environmental Pollution Studies. She has a BSc. in Fisheries with 2nd class upper division from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria; MSc. in Animal and Environmental Biology with specialization in Hydrobiology and Fisheries and PhD in Animal and Environmental Biology at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She is an active member of the following professional bodies; Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON); Biotechnology Society of Nigeria (BSN); Graduate Women in Science, USA (GWIS); Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OSWD); Association for Environmental Impact Assessment of Nigeria (AEIA); Association of Nigerian Women Academic Doctors International (ANWAD); Coastal Zone Community of Practice (CZCP) of the Group on Earth Observation(GEO); International Association of Risk and Compliance Professionals (IARCP); Foundation for African Development through International Biotechnology (FADIB) and Netherland Fellowship Alumni Association (NFA). She has attended diploma courses on General Health, Safety and Environment (HSE 1, 2 and 3) and Environment/Waste Management organised by Nigerian Institute of Safety Professionals (NISP), Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Short courses on Climate Change Adaptation and Natural Resources Management organized by Centre for Development and Innovation (CDI), Wageningen, Netherlands. She has published in several International and National journals and conference proceedings. She has attended several conferences and workshops within and outside the country. From Nigeria to East Africa to North America. She has about 40 publications to her areas of expertise and research interest. She has won several award from the Prestigious Student Union Government, Director of Treasury (2001); Best Serving Corp member in Kaduna State (2005); ANWAD Merit Award in USA (2014); Netherland Fellowship Award (2015); ANWAD Service Award (2015) to OMICS Recognition Award (2015/ 2016). She gained automatic employment with the State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources Management as Fisheries Officer II in 2005 as a civil servant before joining the oil and gas industry as a Human Resources Manager, Safety Officer and the private university as Lecturer I where she served in various capacity as an Ag. Director of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance, Chairman, University Examination and Time Table Committee, Co-ordinator, Biotechnology Programme, Departmental Exams and Record Officer just to mention a few. Dr. Nwakanma pioneered the drafting of the Post graduate Curriculum of the EMT department and she loves working as a good team player to achieve any set goal. She teaches and supervises postgraduate and undergraduate students in the College of Natural Resources and Environmental Management. She is a mother of three handsome boys and married to a Telecommunication Engineer.

Research Interest

Most of her research interest includes the development, application, and validation of methods to assess the effects of contaminants, degraded water quality, soil quality, air quality and other environmental stressors on aquatic organisms. Her research may also focus on the bioaccumulation and toxicity of contaminants from water, sediment and food, the physical, chemical and biological factors affecting these processes and relationships between responses to contaminants observed in-situ and those observed in contaminated aquatic ecosystems. Standardization of acute and chronic toxicity test methods on risk species of concern including fish, amphibians, invertebrates, molluscs and crustaceans. Also, validating DNA barcoding of fish species specific to Africa in relation to biodiversity using biotechnology techniques and environmental changes resulting from exposures to microorganisms are her interest.