Professor Maryam Aminu: Researcher, Trainer, Scholar, and Humanitarian

Professor Maryam Aminu is a researcher, trainer, scholar, and distinguished Abusite with a deep passion for Humanitarian service who has touched the lives of many who have come her way.

She was the first academic to lunch a campaign against the Pandemic in Zaria. In her bid to help in curtailing the spread of the deadly pandemic, Professor Maryam embarked on sensitization and campaign against Covid-19 on most of the media houses in Zaria and Kaduna State.

She made a lot of donations of face masks and hand sensitizers in most of the media houses she visited and to various communities. She also launched the production of radio jingles both in English and Hausa languages to educate the populated communities in the Zaria region.

Who is Professor Maryam AMINU?

Professor Maryam AMINU is a Professor of Virology. The distinguished Abusite served as the head of the Department of Microbiology and deputy dean, faculty of life sciences at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria,

Prof. Maryam Aminu was born on the 14th day of May at St Gerald Hospital, Kakuri Kaduna. She completed her primary (1974-1980) and secondary (1980-1985) education at LEA Lagos Street (former St. Gregory Primary School) and Government day Secondary School Tafawa Balewa Way, Anguwar Rimi, Kaduna respectively.

She then proceeded to the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria for her IJMB (1985-1988). She obtained her BSc microbiology degree in 1991 from the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Nigeria.

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She had her MSc and PhD degrees in the same institution working with Polioviruses and Rotaviruses in 2000 and 2006 respectively. She further capped it with a Post Graduate Diploma in Education obtained in 2002 from the Federal College of Education, Zaria.

Professor Maryam Aminu started her career as a graduate assistant in November 1996 and till present taught mainly Virology and Immunology at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the same Department she obtained her degrees from.

She was the Departmental Postgraduate Coordinator from June 2016 until January 2018 when she took over as the Deputy Dean of the Faculty in January 2018.

She is a member of the African Rotavirus Network (2004-Date) and the Nigerian National Verification Committee on Elimination of Measles (March 2018- To Date). She is the present Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences, ABU, Zaria.

Prof. Aminu is a good researcher, trainer, and an achiever who is a valuable member of the scientific community. She is involved in many research and surveys particularly on immunization and characterization of viruses and facilitated the baseline immunization coverage surveys in Kaduna State in 2001.

Her research focuses on gastrointestinal viruses with a special interest in rotaviruses. She has been a member of the African Rotavirus Network and a Rotavirus facilitator in Nigeria for over 16 years.

Her research work provided epidemiological data on Rotaviruses in Nigeria; she detected and characterized the circulation genotypes of the rotaviruses in northwestern Nigeria hence providing data used in producing the current rotavirus vaccines which have greatly reduced the incidence of rotaviral and all other causal diarrhea worldwide.

Professor Maryam Aminu also conducts research on the Hepatitis virus, Human papillomaviruses, and Human Immunodeficiency virus. She has organized, hosted, facilitated, and attended many international scientific meetings (conferences, symposia, workshops, etc.) in over a dozen countries.

Her academic qualities are evident through her scholarly publications in standard local and international journals and in the number of papers she has presented and read at scientific meetings. She has published more than 74 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has read and presented more than 85 papers at national, regional, and international meetings.

She has several publications to her name. She has supervised and mentored several Ph.D. and M.Sc. students who have completed their studies and currently has several others under her supervision who are at various stages of their studies.

She was the secretary of the STEP-B Diarrhoea Project team on “diarrhoeal agents and the nutritional status of children under five years in Nigeria” and a team member of the Committee that set up a disciplinary network on ‘Study of Diarrhoea’ for the ‘MacArthur support for the disciplinary centers of excellence’.

She was also a member of the ABU Institutional Evaluation Committee for Europe – Africa Quality Connect (2011-2012) and a member of the Strategic Planning Committee of ABU (2013-2015). She is currently a member of the School of Postgraduate Studies Board and the Senate of Ahmadu Bello University.

She was a Member of the Committee on the Review of 1983 and 2011 Regulations Governing the Condition of Appointment of Senior Staff of ABU, Zaria from Apr 2014 to Dec 2014.

Professor Maryam Aminu has been an Honorary Member of Council of Science Association of Nigeria (SAN) since May 2014 to date and a representative of Faculty of Science on the Ahmadu Bello, University Ethical Committee Board on the use of Human and Animals for Research since April 2016-to date.

She is the Assistant Secretary-General, ABU Alumni Association (since August 2017), the current Financial Secretary of the Fulbright Alumni Association of Nigeria and the Vice President II of the Kaduna Chapter of US Exchange Alumni.

Prof. Aminu was appointed as a member of the National Verification Committee on Elimination of Measles in March 2018 and has been a member of the Ahmadu Bello University Senate since April 2014.

Prof. Maryam Aminu has received some prizes, grants, and award and has been recognized for her research works and leadership qualities as outlined below:

Innovation/Awards

i. The prize for the ‘Best Student in Biology’ in 1985. Government Day Secondary School, Tafawa Balewa Way, Angwar Rimi, Kaduna.

ii. The UNESCO-L’ORÉAL Co-Sponsored Fellowship for Young Women in Life   Sciences- 2004 Fellowship Award.

iii. First place in the category of ‘BEST POSTER PRESENTATION BY STAFF’ by the University of Limpopo – Medunsa Campus Pretoria, South Africa. Academy Day 2005 Conference. 17th -18th August 2005.

iv. Secretary of the team awarded the grant for the STEP-BD Diarrhoea Project on “diarrhoeal agents and the nutritional status of children under five years in Nigeria”. 2008.
v. Award of Senior Fulbright African Research Scholar Program grant conducted at CDC Atlanta, USA. 2014/2015.

i. First Place in the category of Best Poster Presentation by Aminu M, Bdliya MI and Ashafa AM. on the title ‘Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen among some secondary school students in Zaria, Nigeria’ at the 37th Nigerian Society for Microbiology National Conference/AGM, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. September 2nd – 5th, 2014.

ii. First Place in the category of Best Oral Presentation by Magaji Joseph Sheba, Aminu Maryam and Inabo I. Helen on the title ‘Prevalence of Human papillomavirus among women of in Kaduna State, Nigeria at the 39th Annual Conference of the Nigerian Society of Microbiology, held at the University of Nigeria Nsuka, Nigeria. September 2016.

iii. First Place in the category of Best Poster Presentation by Dagachi Ibrahim Rahma and Aminu Maryam on the title ‘Prevalence of Lymphatic Filariasis Caused by Wuchereria bancrofti among Febrile Patients in Kaduna State, Nigeria at the 40th Annual Conference of the Nigerian Society of Microbiology, held at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria. 4th-8th December 2017.

Recognitions

i. Arewa Elite Magazine Leadership Award-May 2017.

ii. Northern Nigerian Students Award of Certificate of Credence as an Icon of Scientific Transformation – 2nd August 2017.

iii. Moral Initiative of Nigeria Distinguish Leadership Certificate of Credence. An Ambassador of Morality Award- December 13, 2017.

iv. College of Advanced Students Old Student Award of Excellence-February 10, 2018.

v. Northern Youth Vanguard Award of Leadership:  An Icon of Hope – February 17, 2018.

Prof Maryam Aminu is a member of the American Association of the Advancement of Science (20198069), American Society for Virology, Nigerian Society of Microbiology, and Nigerian Society for Environmental Health.

She is married with a son and her hobbies are reading, traveling, and listening to rhythm and blues music.

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