Cohort: Cohort 3: 2024

Femi Adekunle BALOGUN had National Diploma (Urban and Regional Planning, The Polytechnic, Ibadan, 1999); Higher National Diploma (Urban and Regional Planning, The Polytechnic, Ibadan, 2004); Bachelor of Science (Economics, Lead City University, Ibadan, 2008); Master of Science (Urban and Regional Planning, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, 2012); Ph.D. (Urban and Regional Planning, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, 2021). He is a member of Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (MNITP), a member of Regional Studies Association (UK), and a Registered Town Planner (RTP). He has published locally and internationally. His area of specialisation include: Urban Design and Safety, Urban Security Governance, Housing, and Environmental Planning and Management. Presently, he works in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning as a Lecturer/Researcher. He is a recipient of fellowship award (African Research Universities Alliance – Early Career Researcher (ARUA -ECR), 2023).

I currently serve as a lecturer in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. Prior to this assignment, I served as “Post harvest handling and Value-addition Technology specialist” with United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization for the South Sudan, Country Programme.

My research broadly focuses on sustainable food and Agricultural systems. I am particularly interested in areas of resource recovery from waste, renewable energy utilization for product preservation and processing, and bioconversion for value-addition. I am passionate about developing integrated technical solutions that are affordable, practical, and custom made to the African context. My areas of expertise include Process design and optimization, design and human ergonomics, and development Engineering. I am an active member of the American society for Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ASABE) as well as Engineering for Change (E4C).

A functional electronic materials engineer in nanoscale interface control for advanced materials for applications in the following major areas:
– Renewable energy generation devices such as PEM-Fuel Cells (e.g., durable electrocatalysts, durable electrolyte membranes, etc.); Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells; and recently venturing into Perovskite Solar cells, and plans for rechargeable batteries.
– (Hierarchically porous) materials for various applications, especially for heterogenous catalysis.
– Surface wettability control and Electrowetting studies.
I am quite passionate about translating my research results into solving practical human challenges, especially, on the African continent. I am seeking collaborative partners whereby we can complement our works to produce novel works that may ultimately translate into practical applications.

Alphonce Mollo is an early career research fellow at the centre of excellence in climate and development at the University of Cape Town. With both a string academic and practical experience in climate, environment, and finance for the poor, Alphonce has delivered and got involved in research, projects and development of plans along the themes. Additionally, Alphonce is also keen on research on climate information services, early warning and civil society involvement in climate governance.

Dr. Agyapong is a committed and hardworking educator and researcher with interest in Public Health research, Nutrition Epidemiology, Nutrition Immunology and Food Environment.

Dr. Djim M. L. DIONGUE is a hydrogeologist with a PhD from the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Senegal. His scholarly contributions span hydrological modelling, hydrogeochemistry, water resource management, and climate change. These works earned him the Best PhD Thesis Prize in 2023 by the National Academy of Science and Technology of Senegal and have been featured in esteemed scientific journals and conferences. Beyond academia, Dr. DIONGUE has consulted on diverse projects and is affiliated with IAH and IASH. Now, as a Postdoc research fellow at the ARUA Water Centre of Excellence at Rhodes University, he is deepening his exploration into complex social-ecological systems research, with a particular focus on the challenges of participatory governance for water security in Senegal.

Dr. Omonigho Simon Umukoro is an accomplished scholar and educator with a diverse background in psychology, specializing in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. He was born on March 9th, 1983, in Ibadan, Nigeria, and hails from Delta State. Dr. Umukoro holds a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, earned from the University of Ibadan in 2018, where he received commendation and a prize for the publication of his doctoral thesis. He is an active member of various professional organizations, including the Nigerian Psychological Association, the American Psychological Association, and others, showcasing his dedication to advancing the field of psychology. His research contributions are extensive, covering a wide range of topics, from entrepreneurship to workplace behaviour. Dr. Umukoro’s work has been published in renowned international journals, underscoring his expertise and impact on the field. Currently, Dr. Umukoro serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Lagos, where he imparts his knowledge to the next generation of psychologists. With a passion for teaching and research, he continues to make significant contributions to the world of psychology. Outside of academia, he enjoys soccer, movies, and a good game of Scrabble.

Raymond Elikplim Kofinti (PhD) is a Lecturer at the Department of Data Science and Economic Policy, School of Economics, University of Cape Coast, Ghana. Raymond is an applied economics researcher with interests in welfare economics and global health research. His research involves a multifaceted approach to examining poverty, deprivations, inequalities, and health using mathematical and applied econometrics techniques.
Raymond has acquired the requisite experience and international exposure from the African Economic Research Consortium and Africa Institute-Western University, London-Ontario, sponsored mobility programmes. Raymond aspires to contribute to inequality-poverty research significantly, be at the forefront of graduate training and make intellectual contributions to welfare-related policy options and dialogues within sub-Saharan Africa. Some of his research publications can be found in Energy Economics, Economic Modelling, the Journal of Economic Inequality and Oxford University Press.

Selorm Yaotse Dorvlo is an Agricultural Mechanization Expert and a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of Ghana. His research focuses on developing sustainable agricultural mechanization strategies for smallholder rice farmers in Ghana, assessing the potential of biomass conversion to energy within the agricultural production sector, and designing innovative and suitable agricultural machinery. Selorm is also a professional engineer registered with the Ghana Institution of Engineering. He has been involved in various research projects through grants he has received, such as the post-doctoral fellowship with the Food Systems Research Network for Africa (FSNet-Africa), the Feed the Future Grant for Early Career researchers, and the ARUA-Carnegie Early Career research fellowship.

Deborah D. Adeyemo is a lecturer in the Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law at the University of Ibadan. She holds an LL. B from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. She has an LL. M from the University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa. She obtained her PhD in International Criminal Law from the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. She is a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and a member of the Nigerian Bar Association. She is a DAAD academic excellence scholar (2013) and a co-recipient of the Solidarity Fund for Innovation Project (FSPI) Grant (2022). Her primary research interest is in the field of public law with special interest in issues relating to criminal justice, crime prevention and international criminal law.