Graduate student Esther Omaiye has received a UC President's Dissertation-Year Fellowship award for the 2021-22 academic year. The fellowship will support her research on the analytical and toxicological evaluations of electronic cigarettes and their constituents, including chemical elements and flavor chemicals.

Omaiye, who expects to graduate with a doctoral degree in environmental toxicology in 2022, received her bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the University of Jos in Nigeria; she received her master’s degree in biotechnology and bioinformatics from California State University Channel Islands.

The fellowship covers tuition and a stipend and includes allowances for research-related travel. 

“It gives me great joy to know that my research is impactful and deserving of this prestigious award,” said Omaiye, who works with Prue Talbot, a professor of cell biology. “This fellowship will facilitate the completion of ongoing projects and my dissertation.

“E-cigarettes, which are relatively new, continue to evolve. Currently, there is no longitudinal data on the health effects on users. Research that identifies the constituents of e-cigarettes and evaluates the toxicities of the mixtures and individual chemicals is very relevant as it provides data on the potential health effects of e-cigarette use.”