About Me
Dr. Olumuyiwa Igbalajobi is an accomplished scientist who has spent 16 years conducting research, teaching, and providing service across four continents. He has secured over $500,000 in funding for his academic pursuits, primarily through self-sourced scholarships and awards, resulting in the publication of 13 peer-reviewed articles and seven conference presentations.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Ekiti State University in Nigeria, Dr. Igbalajobi was granted the prestigious Korean Government Scholarship in 2013 to pursue his master’s degree at Daejeon University in South Korea. During this time, he acted as an ambassador for the institution, raising its profile in the African community.
Following the completion of his master’s degree, Dr. Igbalajobi earned his Ph.D. at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, where he was fully funded by the DFG Grant. He completed the program in an impressive three years and two months and went on to become a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of British Columbia in Canada in 2020.
In late 2020, Dr. Igbalajobi founded Scholarships Cafe, an organization dedicated to addressing the dearth of current information on scholarships and funding opportunities in academia, with a particular focus on underrepresented and diverse groups. He is also a resource person for the Genetic Society of America, where he trains early-career scientists on crafting academic CVs.
Dr. Igbalajobi is dedicated to promoting equitable and inclusive education and collaborates with institutions worldwide to remove barriers that prevent deserving individuals of color from advancing. In his free time, he is a YouTuber and moderates the widely followed “Global Opportunities in Academia” space on Twitter.
WHAT I DO
Consulting
If you need help with scholarships and studying abroad, I offer personalized consultations with expert advice, actionable strategies, and valuable insights to increase your chances of success.
Workshops
With over 100 academic workshops under my belt, I can offer valuable insights as a resource person for your event.
Speaker
Whether you are looking for a keynote speaker for your next conference or a workshop facilitator for your team or organization, I can provide engaging and thought-provoking sessions that will inspire your audience to act.
View my CV
Testimonials
Emilia, Kenya
When I saw Muyiwa post on Linkedin about the new opportunity to UBC, I was incredibly inspired and knew this was a potential and great start our of conversation. I quickly messaged him and from then on, we kept in touch. Part of me wanted to stay in the industry as a software developer and another part felt that I had some fundamental gaps and concepts that I needed to fill. I decided to go for the latter. Because the fundamentals were skills I could mostly get in academic environment and would benefit me a lot in my future interviews when I grasped them well. I decided to go back to school and Muyiwa offered a great source of guidance from getting the scholarship and visa processing. Asking for help is a sign of strength and having people out there who to run for questions is a great resource. I am grateful for Muyiwa and team for this great initiative that touched lives like mine.
Ola, Nigeria
If someone had told me the journey of a thousand years could be done in one year, I would vehemently oppose it. The growth, mentoring, support and motivation of the scholarship cafe has been nothing but astonishing as evidenced by the follow up,scholarships awarded, life's changed. The BIG word 'changing the narrative' really shone throughout the universe just like the new normal with rejections looking more like stepping stones than a stumbling block. It's been a wonderful year of service to humanity, serving us the coffee of motivation and support Hot! Hot!. This is to more years of astonishing moments geared towards changing the mindset of the have and have nots. #EDI and #DYI @its best.
Boniface, Kenya
I have been unsuccessfully writing emails to professors. When I started following @olumuyiwaayo on twitter and lately on the Scholarship café youtube channel, a lot has changed! I overhauled my CV and made a new one according to his format. I rewrote my cold emails and just last week, I got a positive response from a professor at the University of Manitoba, Canada and yes, I have a PhD position in waiting while still an MSc student. Thank you, sir Olumuyiwa! Your selfless work can’t go unnoticed. I attribute this success to your guidance
Muhammad, Malaysia
I had my first successful meeting with potential supervisor and we had very productive discussion about future projects and potential findings. Thanks to almighty God and definitely to you as well.
Obebo, India
At first, I was rigid and I never thought of continuing my academic journey after completing my masters. In fact, I never knew what a letter of interest, a statement of purpose, or what a cold email entails until I met the Son of Ekiti State, Nigeria on Twitter; Dr. Muyiwa. Through his selfless support and his belief that no human is limited, many have benefitted from his wealth of experience and information on the scholarship applications and eventually won scholarships. His journey from Nigeria to South Korea to Germany and Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Canada is a testimony on self-determination to win. Personally, I have gained a lot. He has always revised my proposals at least to point out usual weaknesses and strengths and he has done so without reprimanding me. With over 60 cold emails, that I have sent, already I have more than 10 positive responses. I was so impatient, but through him, I have accepted that before any win, failure is a must. Not only on the scholarship application, but I have also grown morally. Unlike many, he is more professional and has never shied away from telling the truth. As a family man and with his tight schedule, he has managed to set aside time for us. I will always be indebted.
Musbau, Nigeria
Dear Dr Olumuyiwa, I got my passport last week in ibadan and I want to use this medium to say a very big thank you for giving hope to my graduate school pursuit. I pray you find all the blessing you desire and I pray Almighty God be with you and your family sir. Looking forward to learning more from you sir..
Tiwalola, Nigeria
Hello Dr Igbalajobi, I want to appreciate you for being a channel of blessing to humanity. I am happy to inform you that I was selected for the prestigious Arrell Scholarship in Canada. Your cold email, CV samples and SOP helped me a lot. In fact scholarship cafe YouTube channel is the bomb God bless you sir.
Abiola, Nigeria
Hello Dr. Olumuyiwa, I really want to use this medium to say thank you for all your posts. I arrived in the US to start my graduate program in Oklahoma this summer. I was awarded GRA that cover tuition waiver, and health insurance benefit. Thank you so much once again.
Olajumoke, Nigeria
Thank you being a mentor. My first message to you was on LinkedIn on March 29, 2021, congratulating you on your work anniversary. Then when I opened up to you about how to get a master’s student position, it was on May 17, 2021, and that was to help me review a cold email I wanted to send to a potential supervisor. You gave me the chance to send it to you and read through it and told me it was fine. I felt so proud of myself that day because I followed the template you put on Twitter. Then you went a step further by asking for my CV, then my email address, and finally yours, so I can improve mine. I felt really lucky when you did that. Fast forward to 2021. I decided to apply for a direct Ph.D. in the US. My undergrad GPA was 4.40/5.0. So the journey started; I drafted my SOP, sent it to different scholars to review; they did so and gave me their opinions. I kept correcting my SOP. Then you gave me the chance to review it and told me to remove my entire first paragraph and go straight to the point because I was competing with a lot of people. I took the advice and then submitted my application to five schools in the US. Then came Feb. 21, on the phone with my sister. I checked my phone and saw I had a new message. My heart was beating fast. Then I saw Welcome to Texas A&M University. I knew this was good. When I told my sister I finally got my YES, she just started screaming. It felt like a dream. I went down on my knees and praised God. felt so happy. I don't think I have been that happy in a long time. So I'm not a failure, I told myself. Fully funded Ph.D. with just a Bachelor’s degree. I can’t thank you enough. You changed this little girl's life and she will always be grateful to you. Thank you for all you do for the community
Rachael, Nigeria
Dear Dr Olumuyiwa, Thanks for always sharing valuable grad. application school resources. You put so much effort into compiling these highly impactful materials for FREE. Once again, thank you for being a light; smoothly illuminating the pathways of scholars like me aiming at grad school. Thanks for being a map; steadily guiding your social media updates. Your contents are top-notch and your efforts are highly commendable. I celebrate you, sir.
