简介
Professor Olubukola Oluranti Babalola (Pr.Sci.Nat, MASSAF, FASLP, FAAS, FAS, FTWAS, FISC, FRSB, FAAM) is based at the North-West University, South Africa. She is a Honorary Visiting Professor at Imperial College London, a B2 NRF-rated scientist, the Vice-President of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Vice-President of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD Africa, 2016-2025), Foreign Secretary of the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS), an Honorary Fellow of the International Science Council (ISC), Policy Advisory Com @InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) and Research Director of the Food Security and Safety Focus Area at NWU (2016-2024). Olubukola is a graduate of the North-West University (NWU) Business School in South Africa. Her dissertation was on Women in STEM leadership. Olubukola is a product of the premier University of Nigeria. She obtained a PhD in Microbiology with the Visiting Research Fellowship of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Postgraduate Training Fellowships of OWSD. Olubukola, an OWSD alumnus, has been an active member of OWSD since 1999 and has acquired organizational memory of OWSD. She began her career as a senior lecturer at NWU in 2009 and has since advanced through the ranks to become a full professor.
Olubukola had two postdoctoral experiences in standard laboratories: first at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, through the Feinberg Graduate School Postdoctoral Fellowship and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Fellowship. The second postdoctoral position was at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa. She has always advocated using biofertilizers over and above chemical fertilizers for plant health management. Her efforts for SDG 2, “Zero Hunger,” in Africa, focusing on food security and sustainable agriculture, are helping farmers, women, and all food lovers. Olubukola has over 22 years of research experience in soil-plant-microbe interactions, with a focus on rhizosphere metagenomics. Her research support came through grants from the National Research Foundation (NRF), and the universities. She set up the Microbial Biotechnology Research Laboratory at the NWU from scratch. The same laboratory brought her to the forefront for her selection as Research Director for Food Security and Safety. Without reservation, leading as the head and Principal Investigator of a Microbial Biotechnology Research laboratory. Her laboratory is a mini-United Nations, with students from within and outside Africa making a substantial contribution to science, which is her original research motivation. Olubukola is a member of the editorial board for BMC Microbiology (Elsevier) and Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports (Elsevier). Her effort has received many awards, including being a finalist in GenderInSite 2020, Clarivate's highly cited research top 1% for the field years 2022 and 2023, and SAWISA 2024. Olubukola is passionate about capacity building and has graduated 39 doctoral fellows, 29 master's, and numerous Honors students. Prof. Babalola is a prolific author with over 450 publications. In 2018, she delivered her professorial inaugural lecture. She has over 56 certificates in her professional areas of interest from the University of California, Berkeley, USA; the University of Mauritius, Reduit; the North-West University, South Africa; and Bradford University, UK, to mention a few. She is an AAAS-TWAS Science Diplomacy 2014 alumnus, impacting the world with her eye-opening awareness of policymaking, diplomacy, and diplomatic engagement. She is now taking action using the gender lens and forging collaborations with diplomats. She is a fellow of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAF). Her wealth of international experience spans the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. She enjoys international collaborations, research grants, and many awards. Olubukola has an H-index of 92, and 39,400 citations. Her recent Springer book is “Food Security and Safety: Africa’s Perspective.” Olubukola is #1 in Africa for Soil Science and Plant Nutrition (see https://www.adscientificindex.com/scientist.php?id=96341
