Paying it forward with Christiana Onyebujoh

From an early age, Christiana Onyebujoh (UCL Drug Discovery and Pharma Management MSc 2018) felt passionate about global public health and wanted to help people. While the shape this help would take was not yet clear, the commitment had been made.  

A true global citizen, Christiana, who is South African, grew up and went to school in Switzerland.  Her interest in pharmacology was piqued during her undergraduate studies in biomedical sciences, where she specialised in immunology and infectious diseases. This led to her enrolling at the UCL School of Pharmacy in 2016.  

Defining moments 

Christiana describes her Master’s programme as the “infrastructure of her career”: a course that was demanding and rewarding in equal measure. Attentive teaching, genuine support, exposure to cutting-edge research and interacting with staff and students who had come from working in industry provided the tools she needed to kickstart her career.   

Her Master’s education has proved invaluable. Today, building on her dissertation that explored financing for pharmaceutical research and development, Christiana works in the exciting and challenging field of biomanufacturing and global public health policy. Her technical background continues to inform her current health security and pandemic preparedness work.

“The teaching I had was so foundational to me, I really couldn’t have spent a better year. I feel like no one can take that away from me. It was one of the toughest but one of the most rewarding years of my life to date.”

Aside from finding her passion for drug discovery and development at UCL, as an international student, Christiana also developed a deep affinity for the global UCL community. Wherever her career journey has taken her, she has gravitated towards like-minded UCL alumni: in London, Brussels, Lausanne and Geneva. 

It was through connecting with the alumni community that Christiana met her mentor: a female and fellow UCL alumna in biomanufacturing, a largely male-dominated industry, who she credits with guiding, encouraging and advising her through her career over the past two years.  

“I think I’ve just fallen in love with the community. I feel like I meet people who are interesting, have different viewpoints, come from different sectors and approach the world in very different ways.” 

Giving back 

Owing to these positive experiences, Christiana feels a duty to give back to the community which has been instrumental in her development. She recalls the words of her mentor reminding her that the most important thing is ‘paying it forward’, particularly as a woman in science: 

“At UCL, we gained a lot that we all take with us throughout our careers. The spirit of excellence and wealth of knowledge provided an amazing opportunity to learn, grow and innovate; both then, since and in the future. I believe that giving back is something we should all do.” 

Future plans 

Now, Christiana is focusing on establishing a new alumni group in the Geneva and Suisse Romande region of Switzerland. Organising events and opportunities to connect for the community. In May 2024, Christiana played an important role in organising a panel discussion and networking event for Geneva & Suisse Romande-based alumni. Her next goal is to facilitate events focusing on topics such as global public health and other activity-based events. And with UCL’s bicentennial on the horizon in 2026, it feels like the perfect time for more events and celebrations.  

“I think it’s worth celebrating the fact that we have a bicentenary; It’s a great reason to get together and meet one another.” 

Our volunteering opportunities are designed to help you stay connected, share knowledge and play an active role in supporting our global alumni community.  If you would like to get involved visit our volunteers page or contact Andy Stirups - Senior Alumni and Supporter Relations Manager  - a.stirups@ucl.ac.uk