Four graduate students pursuing doctoral degrees and one postdoctoral fellow were selected by the Office of the Provost to participate in the 2023 Southeastern Conference Emerging Scholars Program. The SEC 2023 Emerging Scholars are Adjoa Bonsu, Anthony Campitelli, Kayla Foley, Abass Oduola and Guillermo Pupo Pernet.

"We're pleased to recognize these five scholars for their academic achievement and select them for the SEC Emerging Scholars Program," said Provost Terry Martin. "As part of this program, these graduate students and the postdoctoral fellow will get a chance to meet scholars from other SEC institutions and receive invaluable support as they pursue careers in academia."

The SEC Emerging Scholars Program provides professional development and networking opportunities to current doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers who are considering careers in higher education. Each year, an SEC university hosts the SEC Emerging Scholars Workshop as part of this program. This year, the SEC Emerging Scholars Workshop will be hosted by the University of Arkansas on Oct. 1-4.

The SEC Emerging Scholars Workshop will include sessions on topics from finding a faculty position and the hiring process to how to handle campus interviews. The workshop will also include the opportunity to meet representatives from the SEC universities to learn about each institution and open faculty positions.

Each SEC university selects five scholars to participate in the program and workshop each year. Read more about the University of Arkansas' SEC Emerging Scholars below:

Adjoa Bonsu, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Bonsu is from Accra, Ghana. She holds a bachelor's degree in biochemistry, cell biology and molecular biology from the University of Ghana and a master's degree in chemistry from Missouri State University. She is a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry and biochemistry.

Her doctoral research focuses on the collagenase enzyme that has served several purposes in therapeutics. Her research goal is to investigate the role of the polycystic kidney disease (PKD)-like domain of collagenase in collagen degradation. This research can aid in designing targeted drugs for quick wound healing and other applications.

In addition, Bonsu has been awarded funding from the National Science Foundation for her research and serves as research assistant in the Membranes for Virus Purifications project, an NSF-funded EpSCoR project for gene therapy and vaccine applications.

Anthony Campitelli, Exercise Science

Campitelli is from eastern Washington. He received a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in kinesiology from Eastern Washington University. After completing his master's degree, he became an adjunct lecturer, which allowed him to realize his dream of becoming a college professor. He decided to obtain a doctorate degree from the University of Arkansas and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in exercise science. He is also concurrently pursuing a second master's degree in statistics and analytics.

His doctoral research focuses on health interventions for Alzheimer's disease. Campitelli also teaches undergraduate courses at the University of Arkansas.

Kayla Foley, Chemical Engineering

Foley received her bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Oklahoma. Foley is a postdoctoral fellow in chemical engineering.

Her research involves the synthesis and characterization of polymerized ionic liquids (PILs).  In particular, her work focuses on two major areas related to PILs — nanoscale self-assembly behavior and stimuli-responsiveness. In addition, she has conducted research on optimization of the melt blowing process, which is a polymer processing technique for developing nonwoven polymer fiber mats.

During her academic career, she participated in multiple leadership roles in several student-lead organizations, including the Chemical Engineering Graduate Society and the Society of Plastic Engineers.

Abass Oduola, Cell and Molecular Biology

Oduola is originally from Nigeria, where he received his bachelor's degree in microbiology. He is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Cell and Molecular Biology.

His research is focused on exploring electromagnetic-driven technology, such as infrared and microwave, in inactivating mycotoxin-producing fungi on grains. The over-arching goal of his research is to prevent mycotoxin contamination and accumulation on rice and corn to improve food safety and security and minimize food and economic losses.

Oduola's research has been featured in eight peer-reviewed articles. His recent work "Growth and Aflatoxin B1 biosynthesis rate of model Aspergillus flavus NRRL 3357 exposed to selected infrared wavelengths" has been published in the esteemed Food Control Journal.

In addition to his research, Oduola gives back to the University of Arkansas community by volunteering in different roles. He has served as the vice-president of the African Students Organization and as president of the International Students Organization. He is currently the president of the Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Student Association.

Guillermo Pupo Pernet, Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies

Pernet received a bachelor's degree in foreign language teaching from Universidad de Atlántico in Colombia, a master's degree in online education from UNAD Florida, and a master's degree in Spanish from the University of Arkansas. Pernet is a Ph.D. student in comparative literature and cultural studies.

Pernet's research focuses on the connection between maps and travel accounts in the 18th century by analyzing the topographic, textual, and visual information about a place and connecting that information to its history, memories and myths.

Pernet has received prestigious awards and grants for his research, including the Fulbright College Graduate Dissertation Research Award, LALS Graduate Student Research Award, CLCS Research Award, Newberry Renaissance Consortium Grant, Grants for Humanities Research on Systemic Racism, and WLLC Summer Research Award. He was also appointed as a Junior Fellow at the Descartes Center, Utrecht University. Pernet was recently selected to participate in an NEH Summer Institute at Saint Louis University and a Dutch paleography workshop at Columbia University.

To learn more about the SEC Emerging Scholars Program, visit www.thesecu.com/programs/sec-emerging-scholars/.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.