Distinguished Nigerian academic, zoologist, poet, and ex‑University of Ibadan lecturer, Professor Mark Nwagwu has achieved a second doctoral degree at 89 years old.
His most recent Ph.D., awarded in Anthropology by the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ibadan, marks another landmark in a scholarly journey that extends over sixty years.
Professor Nwagwu commenced his studies at University College, Ibadan in 1957. He secured a B.Sc. in Zoology from the University of London in 1961, then an M.Sc. in Zoology in 1965, and later earned his first Ph.D. in Zoology from Stockholm University, Sweden, also in 1965.
From 1966 to 1969 he pursued postdoctoral research at the University of Connecticut in the United States, focusing on myosin messenger RNA and muscle‑protein synthesis.
Over his notable career, Nwagwu progressed from Senior Lecturer to Reader and attained a professorship in Zoology in 1982. He later shifted his focus to Cell and Molecular Biology, remaining at the University of Ibadan until his retirement in 2002, and also served as an Assistant and Associate Professor at Brock University in Canada.
Outside the sciences, Professor Nwagwu has enriched Nigerian literature with poetry and novels published after he retired.
He is presently the sole Nigerian academic elected as a fellow of both the Nigerian Academy of Science and the Association of Nigerian Authors, underscoring his excellence in scientific and humanistic fields.
The achievement of earning a second doctorate at age 89 has garnered widespread praise from peers, former students, friends, and social‑media users alike.
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