Dr Samuel Ojelel has been appointed Acting Head, Department of Plant Sciences, Microbiology and Biotechnology, College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS), Makerere University. He will hold the position for six months effective 1st November 2022 to 30th April 2023 when a substantive Head will be appointed.
The former Head, also Dean, School of Biosciences, Prof. Arthur Tugume handed over the office to him at a brief ceremony held at the Department today, 3rd November 2022.
Dr Ojelel is currently serving as an Assistant Lecturer in the same Department. He holds a BSc. Conservation Biology, MSc. Botany and PhD (Botany) of Makerere University. He teaches and conducts research in the fields of ecology, plant conservation and ethnobotany.
Mandate and focus of the Department of Plant Sciences, Microbiology & Miotechnology (PMB)
For now more than four decades, the department has been alive to the fact that the diversity of “plant sciences” as a pure science fits in the light of the roles plants play in the maintenance of life on earth. Both higher and lower plants inclusive of ocean and fresh water phytoplanktons generate and supply the earth’s 100% oxygen through photosynthesis, and for this reason are the main support of all other lifeforms on earth.
The Department of PMB, therefore, has over 4 decades themed its academic and research operations to cover, promote and provide scientific leadership as defined in 6 themes stated below:
Theme 1: Classical Botany: Phycology, Plant Taxonomy, Systematics and Diversity.
Theme 2: Economic Botany: Ethnobiology, Bioprospecting, People-and-plants.
Theme 3: Plant Physiology: Development, Phytoremediation and Eco-physiology.
Theme 4: Ecology: Nature Conservation and Ecosystem Services.
Theme 5: Microbiology: Plant-microbiota Interactions, Microbiology
Theme 6: Genetics, Evolutionary systems, Molecular Biology & Biotechnology