By Jimoh Babatunde

Dr. Femi Patrick Oyedoyin, a Nigerian plant geneticist and award-winning STEM educator, has achieved a major scientific breakthrough that could transform Africa’s food security landscape. His pioneering research has led to the development of six novel yam hybrids with putative resistance to the devastating Yam Mosaic Virus (YMV), a disease responsible for over 50% yield losses in the staple white Guinea yam (Dioscorea rotundata).

During his PhD program at the University of Ibadan, in the Department of Botany–Plant Genetics and Molecular Biology, under the supervision of Dr. Odunayo Olawuyi, Dr. Oyedoyin set out to tackle one of the continent’s most persistent agricultural challenges. As a Research Fellow at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, working under the guidance of Dr. Asrat Amele and Dr. Paterne Agre, he conducted groundbreaking studies on the genetic resources of wild yam species (including D. abyssinica and D. praehensilis), identifying their disease-resistance traits for use in yam crop improvement programs.

“I wanted to help the millions of farmers who depend on yams for their livelihood, so we went into the forest to collect wild yam accessions that had survived generations of disease pressure. Using molecular, biotechnological, and phenotypic approaches, we created new hybrids that showed putative resistance to the YMV.” Dr. Oyedoyin.

The results were groundbreaking: six interspecific yam genotypes that consistently demonstrated putative resistance across field, molecular, and biotechnological evaluations. These findings were published in the journal Euphytica (Springer Nature, 2025) with the title “Integrated assessment of yam mosaic virus (YMV) resistance in wild-yam (Dioscorea spp.) interspecific cross progenies using field phenotyping, molecular, and biotechnological approaches.”

Dr Oyedoyin’s scholarly excellence has earned him multiple distinctions, including: Best PhD Thesis (Department of Botany) and Second-Best Faculty Thesis (Faculty of Science), University of Ibadan. Award of Publication from PhD Thesis, University of Ibadan Postgraduate School. Best Oral Presentation, African Phytopathological Society Conference (2023). UNESCO International Centre for Biotechnology Award (2020) among others.

Beyond laboratory research, Dr. Oyedoyin’s mission aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger), promoting sustainable agriculture and food security. At City of Knowledge Academy, Ijebu-Ode, where he taught Biology and coordinated STEM programs, he led students in developing prototypes of agricultural innovations including: robotic farm harvester, smart farm-security alarm system, automated irrigator, technique for producing yam seeds from vine cuttings; digital farm-market mobile app, among others, designed to improve farm efficiency, reduce waste in farming communities and connect farmers for food security and sustainability.

In 2024, Dr Femi Patrick Oyedoyin won the Best Teacher Award in Nigeria in the “Teach and Win” Reality TV show. He was also a nominee for the Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Award and is currently nominated for the Global Teacher Prize award. When asked how he combines teaching and research, Dr. Oyedoyin said:

“Teaching is my hobby, and research is my passion. Being a researcher makes me a better teacher, and being a teacher keeps me a grounded researcher. As a researcher, I dig deep for answers; as a teacher, I plant those answers in curious minds.”

With a vision to use science, technology, and education to feed communities and inspire Africa’s next generation of innovators, Dr Femi Patrick Oyedoyin continues to embody hope for a sustainable, hunger-free future.