UA Little Rock Graduate Student Combines Chemistry and Technology to Shape Future of Research
Growth has defined Stephen Afolabi’s journey. From his early studies in Nigeria to his research in the United States, he has moved from traditional chemistry into emerging work in machine learning. As he prepares to graduate with a master’s degree in chemistry from UA Little Rock, Afolabi looks back on how much he’s grown.
Originally from Nigeria, he began his academic career at Obafemi Awolowo University, where he built a strong foundation in chemistry. At UA Little Rock, his work began to shift, and he developed his skill in multiple scientific disciplines.
“Completing my master’s degree in chemistry means a lot to me, both academically and personally,” Afolabi said. “It shows how far I’ve come, from building my foundation in Nigeria to developing my research interests at a more advanced level.”
He found a new direction combining chemistry with technology after seeing the limits of more traditional approaches.
“I saw how time consuming, and sometimes subjective, those methods could be,” he said. “That’s what pushed me to explore more data-driven approaches.”
That shift became central to his work in the lab.
“Stephen has been in my research group for about two years,” said Dr. Jerry Darsey, professor in the School of Physical Sciences–Chemistry and director of the Center for Molecular Design and Development at UA Little Rock. “Although he chose to pursue a master’s degree rather than a Ph.D., he accomplished some very interesting and useful work for our center.”
Darsey said Afolabi developed a software program that allows the lab’s spectral data to be used in its artificial intelligence research. The spectrometer produces data in one format, and before it can be used in AI models, it has to be converted into another.
“Stephen wrote a program to make that conversion possible,” Darsey said. “He also built a bridge between our quantum simulation program and the data processing system. That kind of work makes our research more efficient and more connected.”
The program was written in Python, making it compatible with many of the lab’s existing research tools.
He also started working on ways to make it easier and faster to identify compounds using infrared (IR) data.
“For me, it wasn’t just about learning new tools,” he said. “It was about finding better ways to understand the data and make the process more efficient.”
Afolabi sees this work as part of a broader shift in how science is done.
“They can help us test ideas faster, handle large amounts of data, and find patterns we might miss otherwise,” he said. “They don’t replace chemistry, they make it stronger.”
That sense of growth hasn’t just happened in the lab. Moving to the United States meant adjusting to a new culture and academic system.
“That experience pushed me to become more independent and more confident in myself,” he said. “It wasn’t always easy, but it helped me grow.”
He also found value in working with students from different backgrounds, which helped him see problems from new angles.
His academic path has also shaped that perspective. Along with chemistry, he holds a Certificate of Achievement in Geology, which has influenced how he approaches scientific problems.
“It helps me look at problems in a more complete way,” he said. “Not just at the molecular level, but also how those ideas connect to real-world systems.”
Graduate school helped him grow into a steady, collaborative and persistent leader.
“Leadership isn’t always about being in charge,” he said. “Sometimes it’s about staying committed, helping others, and working through challenges together.”
He said studying in both Nigeria and the United States shaped how he understands science and the way he approaches problems. His early education focused on theory, while his graduate studies emphasized research and application.
“Both experiences shaped me in different ways,” he said. “Now I feel more prepared to approach problems from different angles.”
After graduation, Afolabi plans to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry and continue working in computational chemistry and machine learning, with the goal of using his research to solve real-world problems in the environment and industry.
“I want my work to make things more efficient and more accessible — to help turn complex data into something useful,” he said.
UA Little Rock has been part of that same progression.
“I’m ready to keep growing and take on new challenges,” he said.