Soapbox Science Lagos, August
We pioneered the first ever Soapbox Science in Nigeria. This event was held for the FIRST TIME in Lagos on the 22nd August, 2019 at the UBA Park, University of Lagos.
Soapbox Science event is a great time for female scientist and professionals in the STEM discipline to show case their researches in the simplest possible way. They come out publicly to enlighten, inform and relate in exciting ways with people on their works.
Come along, see and learn new things as female speakers take to their soapboxes to tell you about their exciting researches.
The Team
Prof. Abiodun Olusola Salami
Prof. Salami began her professional career at University of Ibadan, Nigeria from where she later joined the services of Obafemi Awolowo University but presently an adjunct staff of First Technical University. Prof. Sola Salami is an erudite scholar and a prolific writer, these have earned her many academic invitations and scientific visitations on personnel recognition globally. She has made significant contributions in the area of bio-control processes in plant-microbe interaction as well as Mycorrhiza agro-biotechnology as a land-use improver. She is an accomplished Scientist who is widely traveled, a seasoned administrator and a consultant to several organizations within and outside Nigeria. She has several awards and grants nationally, regionally and internationally to her credit. As an Academic, She is a member of many professional bodies including the American Phytopathological Society, the International Society for Plant Pathology; the British Society for Plant Pathology; and the American Society of Agronomy, among others.
Prof. Sola Salami was the first female Head of her Department in its more than 50 years of existence and also, she is the first female Professor and currently the Head of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences in the First Technical University, Ibadan, Nigeria. She has since, delivered her inaugural lecture titled: “Hunger on rampage: fungi to the rescue!” She is one of our senior advisers.
Prof. Aderonke Adetutu Okoya
As a young girl, Dr. ( Mrs.) Aderonke A. OKOYA had always being encouraged by her parents’ (Mr Alfred Adetunji Olubakin, a graduate of the University of Lagos and Mrs Comfort Olawunmi Olubakin,; associate of education graduate of University of Ibadan; both of blessed memory) love for education. This was evident in the way her father used to buy her all the books and other educational materials in the “List of Books” requested for by the school management on the very day the promotion report card was issued. This he continued until his death in 1976, when she was in primary four and had to hawk on the streets of Ibadan to sell provisions and drinks to support her mother’s income.
Today, she is a seasoned academic scholar with proofs, first as a chemistry teacher where she rose to be the Head of Department of sciences in one of the renowned secondary schools in Ile-Ife where she taught; and now as Senior Lecturer in Environmental Chemist with bias in water and wastewater treatment in the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Obafemi Awolowo University. She has supervised more than 50 postgraduate students’ thesis and still ongoing. She has received awards and grants for some of her research activities and has published many articles in reputable international and local journals to her credit.
She is the Co-ordinator of the SwWECh Nigeria LTD and is a member of some professional bodies like International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), Chemical Society of Nigeria (CSN), Organisation for Women in Science and Development (OWSD formerly TWOWS), Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), American Chemical Society just to mention a few. She was also at a point a council member of the Institute of Environmental Accountants of Nigeria, a position she was appointed to by virtue of having a postgraduate degree in Financial Management in addition to her degrees in the Sciences. She is one of our senior advisers.
Prof. A. A. Okoya is the first female Director of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Obafemi Awolowo University in its more than 40 years of existence.
Dr. Elizabeth Ife Oludadepo
Dr. Elizabeth Ife Oludadepo is a dynamic professional whose career reflects excellence in leadership, research, service, and faith. She is currently the Head of Technical Sales at Novotex Biologic Limited, providing expert support to clients in Nigeria and abroad, with specialization in Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and laboratory setup.
She earned her PhD in Biomedical Technology from Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), South Africa (2017), where she developed a novel approach for managing diabetes using Moringa oleifera. She also holds a Master’s in Biochemistry (Drug Metabolism and Toxicology) from the University of Ibadan (2012, Distinction) and a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry from Bowen University (2007).
Dr. Oludadepo has held teaching and research positions at CPUT, Mountain Top University, and Bowen University, serving as Programme Coordinator for Biochemistry and briefly as Sub-Dean of Student Affairs. She has published 16 peer-reviewed papers, supervised multiple undergraduate and postgraduate projects, and presented at national and international conferences. From 2019 to 2022, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow in CPUT’s Department of Biotechnology, focusing on nanotechnology, phytomedicine, nutrition, and public health. She also initiated the Postdoctoral Forum at CPUT to support postdoctoral researchers.
A certified Quality Control Lead Auditor, Dr. Oludadepo contributed to the Nigeria Demographic Health Survey through the ANDI Laboratory, University of Lagos. Passionate about women in STEMM, she is an organizing committee member of Soapbox Science Nigeria, a UK-supported science communication platform. Her work has earned multiple national and international awards and travel grants, including from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2017), SEMDSA (2018), Robert Bosch Stiftung (2018), and the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security (2016).
Beyond academia, Dr. Oludadepo is dedicated to humanitarian and faith-based service, volunteering in homeless shelters in Cape Town, rural outreach programs in Nigeria, and a mission trip to Kenya (2007).
Through her multifaceted career, Dr. Oludadepo continues to inspire, lead, and impact the spheres of academia, biotechnology, ministry, and community service.
Mrs. Esther Ifeoluwa Akinyemi
Mrs Esther Ifeoluwa Akinyemi is a GIS Analyst in Arctic Spatials Limited, a leading GIS Company in Africa. She had her master degree program in University of Lagos, Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics. She is on the field and has lots of practical experiences. She has lead lots of Geographical Information System (GIS) projects at varying levels like Environmental Sensitivity Mapping of Ibigwe Refinery, Imo State; Mapping of Roads across some countries in Africa. Her research interests focuses on climate change, environmental change, health and well-being.
Surv. Funmilola Ogunlade
Surv. Ogunlade is a Senior Technologist in the University of Lagos, Akoka, Nigeria. She is a Research technologist in the Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics, University of Lagos where she works closely with academic and research staff to train students in the field of Remote Sensing and GIS. She is a member of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) and registered with Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SURCON).
Prof. Esther Oluwaafunmilayo Makinde (Team Lead)
Professor Esther Oluwafunmilayo MAKINDE (Nee: OMODANISI) is a Professor of Geoinformatics and began her academic/research the Obafemi Awolowo University before moving to the University of Lagos.
Her area of specialties/expertise, teaching and research interests include: Geoinformatics; Remote Sensing Technology Applications; Geographical Information System (GIS) Applications; Artificial Intelligence (AI); Machine Learning (ML); Environmental Monitoring and Management; Oil spill Assessment on the ecosystem; Ecology; Land use Land cover Disturbances and Dynamics; and Climate Change/Models.
A Commonwealth Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of York, York, United Kingdom (2017/2018), she is a member of some professional bodies that includes: IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society, Asia-Pacific Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering Society (APCBEES) Senior Member, African Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment (AARSE), American Geophysical Union (AGU), Nigeria Association of University Women (NAUW). She is a Regional Member, International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing’s IC WG IV/III: Global mapping: updating, verification and interoperability, Germany.
She was one of the few women from Africa selected and awarded a Senior Visiting Researcher Placement for six months at DeustoTech, University of Deusto by the Program SCIENCE BY WOMAN, promoted by Women for Africa Foundation (Madrid, Spain). https://mujeresporafrica.es/en/5th-edition-science-by-woman-en/final-beneficiaries-5th-editon-scienes-by-women/ in 2020.
She served as the Secretary General with the Centre for Multidisciplinary Research and Innovation (CEMRI), Finland, Nigeria and Ghana (2021-2023); and currently a Consultant with CEMRI. She has several National & International publications to her credit. She is widely travelled and involved in several Research Collaborations/Networking/Trainings & Consultancies at Local, National, Regional and International levels.
Prof. Makinde reviews for several International Journals: i. Geomatics and Environmental Engineering Journal, AGH University of Science and Technology, Krawkow, Poland; ii. Geoinformatics FCE CTU Journal, Department of Geomatics, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Czech Technical University, Prague; iii. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute is a publisher of open access scientific journals; iv. Inderscience Journals: https://www.inderscienceonline.com/; and currently the Editor of the Journal of Engineering Research, Faculty of Engineering, University of Lagos.
She was one of the Soapbox Science Speakers for Women in STEMM in 2018 held in York, United Kingdom. More information can be found on this website: http://soapboxscience.org/soapbox-science-2018-york/ She subsequently pioneered the Soapbox Science for Women in STEMM in Nigeria in 2019 and held its first event at the UBA Park, University of Lagos. The event this year is the 7th edition in its series in Nigeria.
Professor Esther Oluwafunmilayo MAKINDE (Nee: OMODANISI) is the first female Professor in the Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics, Faculty of Engineering, University of Lagos, Akoka in its more than 50 years of existence.
Sponsors
