Education
PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University
Subjects
Plant Biology, Leaf Evolution and Development, Molecular Biology and Microscopy, Machine Learning, Biodiversity
Achievements
Sterling Prize Fellow at Yale EEB (awarded to the department's top PhD candidate); Donald R. Kaplan Dissertation Award in Comparative Morphology (USD 10,000); over USD 35,000 in competitive research grants; 8 peer-reviewed papers; oral presentations at 8+ international conferences including Botany 2023 and 2025; TWAS-CSIR Graduate Research Fellow at the National Botanical Research Institute, India; MS in Evolutionary Biology from Yale
About
Oluwatobi is a PhD candidate and Teaching Fellow in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University, where his research combines classical plant biology with molecular, imaging, computational, and machine learning approaches to understand leaf evolution and development across global climate gradients. With a decade of teaching experience across three continents, he is passionate about empowering young scientists through impactful research projects.
Discipline
Environment & Ecology
Academic Achievements
Sterling Prize Fellow at Yale EEB (awarded to the department's top PhD candidate), recipient of the Donald R. Kaplan Dissertation Award in Comparative Morphology ($10,000) and over $35,000 in competitive research grants from institutions including Yale Institute of Biospheric Studies, Harvard's Arnold Arboretum, the Botanical Society of America, International Association of Plant Taxonomists, American Society for Plant Taxonomists, etc. Published 8 peer-reviewed papers in international journals with oral presentations at 8+ major international conferences including Botany 2023 and 2025. TWAS-CSIR Graduate Research Fellow to the National Botanical Research Institute, India. Earned MS. in Evolutionary Biology from Yale, and M.Sc. and B.Sc. (Hons.) in Botany from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
Teaching & Mentoring Experience
10+ years of teaching and mentoring experience. Yale Teaching Assistant for 6 courses (2021-present, 10-15 hours/week). Instructor for Yale Young African Scholars and Yale Young Global Scholars Programs (5 summers total, mentored ~300 international high school seniors through 2-week intensive sessions). Research mentor for New Haven Science Fair (4 months, 1 hour/week per student). High school biology instructor (1 year, 6 hours/week). University of Ibadan Teaching Assistant (4 semesters, 20 hours/week supervising undergraduate labs). STEM Career Fellow (14 months). Museum educator (8 months). Led mentorship programs serving 100+ young graduates and professionals between 2014 and 2021.
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