Tolulope P. Saliu

Dr. Tolulope P. Saliu serves as an Assistant Professor of Biology in the Department of Life, Earth, and Environmental Sciences at West Texas A&M University's Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, joining the institution in 2025.

His academic credentials include:

• Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria
• Master of Science in Molecular Life Sciences (Commonwealth Scholar) from University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
• Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Hiroshima University, Japan
• Postdoctoral research at University of Kentucky focusing on skeletal muscle intercellular communication

Dr. Saliu's research investigates molecular mechanisms driving cancer, obesity, diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) through integrated approaches combining cell culture, animal models, multi-omics, and computational methods including machine learning and molecular simulations to identify therapeutic targets and biomarkers.

His recognition includes:

• Commonwealth Scholar fellowship

As an educator, he instructs Basic and Contemporary Biology I, Cancer Biology, Immunology, and Cell Biology while advising pre-dental students and mentoring undergraduates through the Markey STRONG Scholars Program. He actively participates in the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) and institutional initiatives supporting student research and professional development.

The Saliu Lab employs single-cell RNA sequencing and advanced computational analytics to explore disease progression mechanisms and therapeutic interventions for metabolic disorders.