Oluyomi (Yomi) Okunola-Bakare, Ph.D.

Research Interests

Oluyomi (Yomi) Okunola-Bakare received her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. She then worked for one and a half years as a research assistant at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Nigeria, identifying DNA markers for the development of a genetic linkage map in Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and yam (Dioscorea spp.) before moving to the United States in December 2001. Yomi received her M.S. degree in Organic Chemistry from Howard University in 2004 and her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 2009 from the University of Maryland, College Park, under the guidance of Dr. Jeffery Davis. Her Ph.D. research focused on the design and synthesis of small molecules as transmembrane transporters of biologically relevant anions such as chloride and bicarbonate. She joined the Medicinal Chemistry Section of the Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch of NIDA-IRP as an IRTA Postdoctoral Fellow in 2009, where she designs and synthesizes small molecules as highly-selective ligands for the dopamine transporter and the dopamine D3 receptor, two major targets in substance use disorders (SUDs). Her research interests include the design and synthesis of small molecules as tools for studying molecular mechanisms underlying SUDs, as well as medication development for the treatment of psychostimulant addiction and SUDs.

Publications