Dr. Adedayo Omowumi Oyedele - ASFI Women's Week 2024
Dr. Adedayo Omowumi Oyedele
Dr. Oyedele is a Research scientist at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, (IAR&T) Nigeria. She is a Senior Research Fellow in the Land and Water Resources Management Programme of the Institution. Her soil microbiology research team carries out farmer-demand-driven applied research to address food security issues while ensuring environmental sustainability; her original research motivation.
She is a graduate of Microbiology from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, and obtained her MSc and PhD (Environmental Microbiology) from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. She has a Certificate in scientific publishing and communications from the Training Center in Communication, University of Nairobi, and certificates in International course on Optimising the Performance of Producers' Organisations, and an International course on Competing Claims on Natural Resources from Wageningen University and Research, Netherlands.
She has almost 30 scientific papers to her credit and has been a reviewer for some scientific journals. Since starting her role at IAR&T in 2011, she has trained several industrial training students from different institutions across Nigeria and has generated several technologies for sustainable agricultural production and environmental sustainability from her research. Her research with her team has also led to the development of a patent - a biopesticide for fall armyworm control in maize.
She has won several awards and grants including the Carnegie Corporation of New York Travel Award, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Travel Award and she is a two-time recipient of the Nuffic scholarship by the Netherlands Government. She has undergone the Mentorship program by African Women in Agricultural Research and Development and the Green Energy Incubation and Accelerator programs by the African Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum. She is a recipient and team leader of a collaborative research grant by the International Foundation for Science, carried out in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Burkina Faso, and a collaborating scientist of a Danish Trust Fund/World Bank/CORAF grant.
She is a member of several professional bodies including the American Society of Microbiology, the International Network on Soil Biodiversity, African Science Frontiers Initiatives, and the Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World. She is a volunteer researcher for Life Builders NGO, enjoys networking, and spends her free time working with children and young adults. Seeing African women scientists doing great exploits inspires her. She encourages women to keep taking baby steps, as it brings small wins which brings the motivation and momentum needed to reach their goals.
