Professor Okon Douglas Ekpa wa sborn on the 31st of October 1949 at Nung Oku Ekanem in Oniong Nung Ndem, Awa in Onna Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Prof. Ekpa attended Lutheran School, Nung Oku Ekanem from 1955-1957 and continued his Primary education at Oniong Group School, Ikot Akpatek where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) in 1963. He attended Nsit Peoples’ Grammar School, Afaha Affiong, currently in Nsit Ibom LGA from 1965-1967 and transferred to the Salvation Army Secondary School, Akai Ubium in 1968, following the Civil War and sat for his WAEC in 1970. In November 1971, he proceeded to the United States of America, and after long struggle in the God’s Own Country, obtained his B.Sc. degree in Chemistry from Howard University, Washington D.C, in 1976. He was offered admission into the M.Sc. programme in the same University from 1976-1979, and the Ph.D. Programme from 1979-1981 where he obtained his Ph.D. in Applied Organic Chemistry. In1982, he was awarded a certificate on Basic and Advanced Concepts in High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) from Alabama Agriculture and Mechanical University, USA. Prof. Ekpa worked briefly as an Instructor at Talladega College, Alabama from 1981-1982. In the same year, here turned to Nigeria and was posted to the Department of Chemistry, University of Calabar for his Primary Assignment and was employed by the University as Lecturer II in August, 1983, at the end of his NYSC. He rose to the rank of Lecturer1 in October 1986, a Senior Lecturer on the 1st of October 1989, a Reader in October 1994, and Professor, October 1996. Prof. Ekpa has taught and supervised many students, both at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels, over the years. Most of the students who have passed through him are industry products. Many of them have served as managers in many multinational organizations like as Dunlop Nigeria PLC, Nigeria Breweries Ltd, Pharmaceuticals, Celtel (now Airtel), while some others have established their own production companies as Entrepreneurs. He has produced six Ph.Ds (five from the University of Calabar, and one from the University of Uyo), among them are two Professors. Prof. Ekpa has published over 50 peer reviewed articles in both national and international journals. Some of his papers have attracted global attention which has resulted in his winning a collaborative research agreement on Fats and Oils with an Italian vegetable oil company; a request by a chemical company in Miami, Florida, USA, for agents in Nigeria to market its crystallization inhibitors for palm oil olein and crystallization promoters for palm stearin fractionation of palm oil. The International Center for Under-utilized Crops also requested for his publications in Discovery and Innovation (1993) as part of their world-wide collation of data on Pachylobus odulis (African pear tree) which has placed him in the mailing list of the organization. He was nominated and listed in the prestigious WHO is WHO in the WORLD (4th edition, 1997, p. 396) by Margius’ WHO is WHO in America. He was nominated for World Conference on Polyphenols in France. He has served in various capacities in the course of his public service career. He was appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), University of Calabar from 2009 to 2011. He served as the Head of Department from 1999 to 2002 in the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, and has been Chairman, Coordinator and member of more than 60 Committees, Panels and Congresses within and outside the University over the years, including: Resources Person World Bank-Assisted Workshop on First Consensus Building for Cross River State Environmental Action Plan, Calabar, 1996. Head/Consultant, Manufacturing unit, Unicalcons, University of Calabar 1993-1997. Chairman, University of Calabar Soap Manufacturing Committee (1997-1999) (A United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Assisted Project), the Manufacturer of the famous UNICALBRITE SOAP; Chairman, Committee on Review of the University of Calabar Consultancy Group on Petroleum Products Demand SURVEY in Cross River, An NNPC Project, 1992. Consultant, Akwa Palms Industries Ltd, Akwa Ibom State, on the design of a pilot outfit for the production of Ethyl Alcohol from oil palm wine from the Ekor Oil Palm Estate, Esit Eket, 1996. Member, Nigerian National Committee of World Petroleum Congress Resource Person; Nigerian Universities Post Graduate Thesis Assessment Scheme, an NUC project 2006. University of Calabar Contact Person for Federal Ministry of Science and Technology Data Acquisition in the Six Geographical Zones of the Federation, January, 2008. He was the Chainman, Governing Council, Dorben Polytechnic, Abuja for seven years. Prof. Ekpa belongs to many professional bodies among which are American Chemical Society and Chemical Society of Nigeria. He was nominated International Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1993 and New York Academy of Sciences, 1994. He is happily married to a prolific, versatile woman, Mrs. Uwem Okon Ekpa. His hobbies include Badminton, Soccer, Draft and Swimming.