lectures

NHLI Athena SWAN Lecture – Professor Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu

Imperial College

November 19

Wolfson Lecture Theatre II , Wolfson Education Centre, London

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The National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI) is pleased to welcome Professor Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu as our esteemed guest speaker for our upcoming NHLI Athena Swan Lecture.

Join us from 4-5pm for a talk from Professor Uchegbu titled ‘Controlling in vivo drug transport: from concept to clinic’, followed by a Q&A session. From 5-6pm, enjoy networking over a drinks reception in the Ex Libris Café.

Professor Dame Ijeoma Florence Uchegbu, DBE, FMedSci is a globally recognised pharmaceutical scientist and academic leader, renowned for her pioneering work in drug delivery and nanotechnology. Her research focuses on developing nanomedicine solutions to enhance drug bioavailability and target hard-to-reach tissues such as the brain and eyes.

Born in London and raised partly in Nigeria, Dame Ijeoma holds degrees from the University of Benin and the University of Lagos, and earned her PhD in Pharmaceutical Nanoscience from the University of London. She is currently President of Wolfson College, Cambridge, and Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at University College London (UCL). She has also held key leadership roles at UCL, including Pro-Vice Provost for Africa and the Middle East, and Provost’s Envoy for Race Equality.

Dame Ijeoma is Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Nanomerics Ltd., a spin-out company developing innovative nanoparticle drug delivery systems, including the award-winning Molecular Envelope Technology (MET). Several of her inventions have entered clinical development, particularly in pain and eye disease therapeutics.

In 2025, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to chemical sciences and diversity in STEM. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. A passionate advocate for inclusion and equity in science, Dame Ijeoma is also a frequent science communicator, with appearances on BBC programmes such as Desert Island Discs and The Life Scientific.