5 things to know about Nigerian scientist, Azeez Butali who made Joe Biden’s honours list

5 things to know about Nigerian scientist, Azeez Butali who made Joe Biden’s honours list

By Akanni Dorcas

Azeez Butali, a Nigerian scientist, is one of six Nigerians recognised by U.S. President Joe Biden with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

This award, established in 1996 by President Bill Clinton, is the highest honour for early-career scientists and engineers in the United States.

The awardees include Azeez Butali, a professor at the University of Iowa; Ijeoma Opara, an associate professor at Yale University; and Eno Ebong, an associate professor at Northeastern University.

Others are Oluwasanmi Koyejo, an assistant professor at Stanford University; Abidemi Ajiboye, an associate professor at Case Western Reserve University; and Oluwatomi Akinlolu, a postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

“It is an honour to be recognised by President Biden and the White House with this award,” says Butali. “It truly takes a village, and I cannot thank those enough at the University of Iowa who have supported me and sacrificed to further our research mission. This award is an impetus to do more.”

Here are five things to know about him:

1. Azeez Butali is a world-renowned expert in the genetics of cleft lip and palate, especially within African populations. These conditions, which affect millions worldwide, often lead to challenges with eating, speaking, and hearing. Butali’s research has uncovered genetic factors contributing to these conditions, particularly in African populations.

2. Butali holds the position of Gilbert E. Lilly Professor of Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Iowa’s College of Dentistry. He joined the university in 2008 and has since earned several prestigious awards, including the Inventor Award and the Leadership in Research Award. In 2023, he was named the 23rd endowed professor in the college.

3. In February 2020, Butali was awarded a five-year grant exceeding $3.2 million by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. His project, titled “Refining the Genetic and Genomic Architecture of Non-Syndromic Orofacial Clefts,” focuses on identifying genetic variants associated with cleft lip and palate in African populations.

The project’s goals include replicating and analysing genetic data from genome-wide association studies on cleft conditions and completing whole-genome sequencing of 150 African families to identify rare genetic variants and conducting in-depth analyses of significant genetic variants to understand their role in clefting.

4. Butali’s work extends beyond scientific research to address real-world challenges. He has helped improve access to care for families affected by cleft lip and palate in Africa. Additionally, he has worked on addressing cultural and mental health challenges unique to these communities.

5. Butali is also a co-investigator in a $3.1 million NIH-funded study on non-syndromic hearing loss. For this project, he collaborates with researchers in Nigeria to recruit 500 families and analyse genetic data to identify variants contributing to hearing loss.