Almost one year after the expiration of the tenure of Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka as the 12th Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, a substantive Vice Chancellor has emerged at the premier university.
Prof. Kayode Oyebode Adebowale was, Thursday, named as the 13th Vice Chancellor of the 70-year-old institution by the John Odigie-Oyegun-led Governing Council.
The tenure of Olayinka, a Professor of Geology, ended on November 30, 2020, but a turbulent succession process delayed the appointment of a new V.C.
During the succession battle, the initial process was aborted but all that became history on Thursday as the Governing Council name Adebowale as the new VC.
Born January 11, 1962, Professor Kayode Oyedode Adebowale, a product of the University of Ibadan where he bagged BSc, MSc and PhD degrees, became a Professor of Industrial Chemistry in 2006. He had postdoctoral experience at the Ebehards Karls University, Tuebingen, Germany and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Italy.
A well-decorated intellectual, the new VC has many glittering feathers to his cap. These include Fellow, Nigeria Academy of Science, Polymer Institute of Nigeria, Chemical Society of Nigeria and Science Association of Nigeria. He has several honours from abroad too. These include: Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry, Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung, and lately, African Academy of Science.
Adebowale, who has an impressive track record of distinguished research and service, is currently conducting research in Applied Chemistry (Industrial Chemistry).
The new UI boss, who has been widely published in many reputable academic journals both at home and abroad, has served as external examiners in Nigeria and beyond. He has, till date, published over 130 research articles and has a national patent. On the Google scholar, he has an H-index of 40; On Scopus an H-index of 35. He has mentored several Bachelors, Masters, and fourteen Doctoral students who are distinguished scholars in their respective institutions in Nigeria and abroad. He is the Chairman of the Chemical Society of Nigeria (South Western Region). He has won research grant of the International Foundation for Science IFS, Sweden.
He is a recipient of the prestigious 2013 African Union Kwame Nkrumah Continental Scientific
Award in Science, Technology and Innovation. He has attended the Senior Executive Course of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies leading to the award of Member of National Institute, mni. He is currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Professor Adebowale is on the International Scientific Advisory Board of the African Centre of Excellence for Water and Environmental Research (ACEWATER).
He is currently involved with the Nigerian Young Academy, where he supports two national awards for young scientists one of which is for distinguished young women in Chemical Sciences research. He is married to Dr. Yemisi Adebowale and they are blessed with three children.
