PhD Student Awarded Prestigious PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship

Media Contact: Lindsay Groth, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications, [email protected]

[ANN ARBOR, Mich.] — Damilola Olukorede, a rising fourth-year medicinal chemistry PhD student at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, has been awarded a highly competitive predoctoral fellowship from the PhRMA Foundation to support her cutting-edge research at the intersection of machine learning and antibiotic drug discovery.

The prestigious fellowship provides funding to support graduate students engaged in advanced thesis research. Olukorede received the award in the drug discovery category, recognizing both the promise of her research and potential as an emerging scientist.

Working in the lab of David Sherman at the Life Sciences Institute, Olukorede is leading a machine learning-guided directed evolution effort to create next-generation antimicrobial compounds by transforming simple linear molecules into structurally complex, bioactive macrocycles through precision biocatalyst engineering.

“Damilola has demonstrated exceptional creativity, rigor and determination in advancing this innovative research,” said David Sherman, Hans W. Vahlteich Professor of Medicinal Chemistry. “Her work exemplifies the kind of interdisciplinary scientific thinking needed to address urgent challenges in antibiotic discovery.”

“Our end goal is to create newer antibiotic compounds,” said Olukorede. “The machine learning component helps us optimize enzymes that can cyclize these compounds more efficiently. We hope those resulting circularized compounds will prove to be more effective antibiotics.”

For Olukorede, who came to the United States from Nigeria to pursue her doctoral studies, the award is especially meaningful. “As an international student, funding opportunities can be very limited,” she said. “Receiving this fellowship was incredibly validating. It made me feel like other scientists reviewed my work and saw real potential in the project.”

The fellowship application process was rigorous and highly competitive, involving an initial letter of intent followed by a full six-page research proposal, training plan, letters of recommendation and detailed budget documentation. After submitting her final materials in August, Olukorede received notification of the award in December.

Olukorede’s path to medicinal chemistry was shaped by her early experiences growing up in Nigeria, where medicinal plants first sparked her curiosity about how compounds can be used to treat disease. That interest eventually led her to the University of Michigan, where she found the opportunity to combine computational and experimental approaches to drug discovery.

Looking ahead, Olukorede is preparing for the next phase of her doctoral research. She recently submitted a manuscript based on her fellowship-supported project that is currently under review, and is continuing work on an additional lab project.

After completing her PhD, she hopes to bring her expertise to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. “There’s so much opportunity right now at the intersection of AI and drug discovery,” she said. “I’d like to contribute to that space using the computational and experimental skill set I’ve developed here.”

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About the College

The University of Michigan College of Pharmacy has been leading at pharmacy’s edge for 150 years. The first and oldest pharmacy school at a state university, the College — currently ranked #3 in the nation — has and continues to shape education in the field. Its faculty are internationally recognized and are innovators in drug discovery, development and delivery, precision pharmacotherapy, outcomes research, and clinical practice. More than 5,000 alumni are enhancing patient care and outcomes from the bench to the bedside, in boardrooms and communities, government agencies, and within healthcare companies.