Olayinka is the new VC UNIBADAN

 

Until his current appointment, Prof. Olayinka was the Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) academics.

Here is his Citation:

Idowu Olayinka was born on 16 February 1958 to Mr Gabriel and Mrs Florence Olayinka (both now deceased). He attended lIesa Grammar School, lIesa, from 1970 to 1975. He read Geology at the University of Ibadan between 1977 and 1981, where he obtained a BSc with Second Class Honours (Upper Division). He served the country as Hydrogeologist in the Federal Department of Water Resources, Port Harcourt, between 1981 and 1982, during which time he had the opportunity to participate in the National Borehole Programme Phase I in the old Rivers State (now Rivers and Bayelsa States) as Hydrogeologist. He was employed as Geophysicist with Deptol Consultants, Ibadan, from July 1982 to August 1983.

He proceeded to the United Kingdom in September 1983 for his postgraduate studies at the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine. He obtained MSc (Geophysics) of the University of London and the Diploma of Membership of Imperial College, in July 1984. Between 1985 and 1987, he was at the University of Birmingham, for a doctoral research in Applied Geophysics. He had post-doctoral training in Germany, first at the Institute for Geophysics and Meteorology, Technical University Braunschweig (1996) and second, at the Department of Applied Geophysics, Technical University Berlin (1997-1999).

He joined the academic staff of the University of Ibadan in April 1988, as Lecturer Grade 11, and rose through the ranks, being promoted Lecturer I in 1991, Senior Lecturer in 1994, and a full Professor of Geophysics on 1 October 1999.

He has supervised two PhD theses and 44 MSc dissertations. He has authored or co-authored 37 articles in refereed scholarly journals. He has also written a book and co-authored eight chapters in books. He has attended seminars, workshops and other scientific meetings in Nigeria, Togo, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, the United States of America, Czech Republic, South Africa and Finland. He has presented a total of 26 Conference papers.

He is a:
. Fellow, Geological Society of London;
. Member, European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers; The Netherlands
. Member, Environmental and Engineering Geophysics Society; USA
. Member, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, USA
. Member of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE);
. Member, Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS);
. Member, Nigerian Association of Hydrogeologists;
. Member, Science Association of Nigeria (SAN).

He was Chairman, Local Organising Committee of the 40th Annual Conference of SAN (March 2004). He is on the Awards Committee of the NMGS, and is also a member of Council of the NMGS. In 2006, he convened the First International Conference on Research and Innovation Management in West Africa, with funding support from the Association of Commonwealth Universities, London.

He served as Associate Editor of the Journal of Mining and Geology from
1994-2004. He is currently:
. Associate Editor, Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences;
. Deputy Editor of the Nigerian Journal of Science.

He is a peer reviewer for many learned journals, including the European Journal of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics.

He has served as Consultant to many organizations/clients including the Shell Petroleum Development Company Ltd and the Bitumen Project Implementation Committee, Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.

He received the Overseas Research Students’ Award from the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of United Kingdom Universities (1985-1987), the Gen;nan Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Award for Senior Academics (1996) and the Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Research Fellowship, 1997 – 1999, and 2003.

In 1999, he won an equipment grant from the AvH Foundation, Bonn, Germany. The Multi-electrode resistivity array and accessories, was worth about 27 000 US Dollars.

He has won The Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited /NMGS Prize twice (1998 and 2000). He also won the Texaco Overseas Petroleum Company Nigeria Limited/NAPE Prize in 1996. He has received travel grants from Schlumberger Nigeria Ltd (2001), Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited (1998 and 2002), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health (2002), the Association of Commonwealth Universities, London (2004), the University of Witswaterstrand, South Africa (2004) and the Shell Petroleum Development Company Ltd (2004).

He leads an Applied Geophysics Research Group in the Department of Geology, University of Ibadan and collaborates actively with researchers from Obafemi Awolowo University, lie-I fe, Federal University of Technology, Akure (Nigeria), Technical University, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, and Technical University, Berlin (Germany). His current research interests include computer modelling studies and geoelectrical imaging, and their hydro-geological and environmental applications.

He served as Guest Lecturer in the Institute of Geophysics, Technical University, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany. He has also been Visiting Lecturer or External Examiner to some Nigerian Universities notably those at Ado-Ekiti, Akure, lIorin, Ago-Iwoye, lIe-lfe and Yola.

He has been:
. Departmental Postgraduate Coordinator (1989-1997),
. Sub-Dean (Postgraduate), Faculty of Science (1995 – 1997);
. Sub-Dean, Postgraduate School (1999 – 2001);
. Member, Faculty of Science Appointments and Promotions Panel since 1999.
. Member, University Senate (1994 – 1997; and (2000 till date);
. Head, Department of Geology (2001 – 2002; 1 August 2006 till date);
. Dean of the Postgraduate School, (1 August 2002 till 31 July 2006).

As Dean of the Postgraduate School, he introduced many innovative ideas, especially in the areas of capacity building, maintaining an active academic environment, mentoring of emerging scholars, scholarly publications, processing of a 5-year backlog of degree certificates and some 34 636 academic transcripts as well as an improved revenue drive. He is a member of many important ad-hoc and standing committees of Senate and Council.

He is happily married to Eyiwumi and they have two lovely children.