Prof. Olubukola Oluranti Babalola
Professor Olubukola Oluranti Babalola (Pr.Sci.Nat, MASSAF, FASLP, FAAS, FAS, FTWAS, FISC, FRSB, FAAM) is an educator, a science advocate, and a STEM enthusiast. She is the Foreign Secretary of the Nigerian Academy of Sciences, Vice President of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) and the Vice President of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). She was once the Head of Department and is now the incumbent Director of Research at the North-West University. She hosted 25 postdoctoral fellows, received six incoming, and sent out five outgoing exchange students. Olubukola, an NRF-rated scientist with an MBA in General Management, holds a BSc (Hons), MSc, and PhD in Microbiology. She serves on the editorial boards of Elsevier, Springer, SAGE, and the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), and is an International Advisor to several other organizations. Her efforts have received numerous awards, including being a finalist in GenderInSite 2020, a member of Clarivate's highly cited research top 1% for the field in 2022 and 2023, and a SAWISA 2024 award. With a wealth of experience in rhizosphere genomics and plant health management (SDG#2), her recent Springer book is “Food Security and Safety: Africa’s Perspective.” Olubukola is #1 in Africa for Soil Science and Plant Nutrition. She is passionate about science education, diplomacy, public engagement, policy, and capacity building, and has supervised 37 doctoral fellows, 29 master's students, and numerous Honours students. Olubukola is a prolific author with over 450 publications. Her international experience spans the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. She enjoys securing research grants and establishing global partnerships with academia and industry worldwide. Olubukola has an H-index of 88, with 36,000 citations. Olubukola is a grant reviewer and occasionally serves as a panel member for funding agencies in the UK, Chile, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, South Africa, Germany, and the Netherlands. She spearheads several science engagements for women and girls.