Mr Ogbuagu's ground-breaking research in the field of modified genetic code has catapulted him into the public eye.
Onyema Ogbuagu is a Nigerian-born researcher and medical doctor who has spent his career investigating some of the world's most pervasive infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS and Ebola, just to name a couple.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Ogbuagu's ground-breaking research in the field of modified genetic code has catapulted him into the public eye, as he is one of the brains behind the research at Pfizer for the potential world's first effective coronavirus vaccine.
Some of the fastest vaccines ever developed took at least four years. However, scientists are now racing to develop one for coronavirus under a year.
Dozens of research teams around the world are working to develop a coronavirus vaccine using a mix of established techniques and new technologies.
Funding for a vaccine has never been greater, with billions of dollars pouring in from around the world to make a product that could help to control the pandemic.
There has been a growing optimism after leading drug giants Pfizer and Moderna said preliminary late-stage trial data showed their vaccines were more than 90 per cent effective in preventing COVID-19.
In a historical development that could very well define his career, Nigerian-born Mr Ogbuagu is among the lead researchers developing the Pfizer vaccine.