PROFESSOR ESTHER TITILAYO AKINLABI New Director of PAULESI
The Pan African University (PAU) was created following Decision (Assembly/AU/Dec.290 (XV) of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union during its fifteenth Ordinary Session in July 2010 in Kampala, Uganda.
The principal aim of establishing the Pan African University was to create high quality continental institutions that promote quality training, research and innovation within Africa, ensure a steady nurturing of new ideas and also a continuous injection of highly skilled human resources to meet the developmental needs of the continent.
The AUC launched the Pan African University as a flagship continental initiative in December 2011, and the University became fully operational in 2013, with four thematic institutes distributed across the continent.
Nigeria hosts the Pan African University Institute for Life and Earth Sciences including Health and Agriculture (PAULESI). Since operationalization, the institute was headed by Prof. Abatan who left in 2020.
Following a rigorous application and selection procedure, Professor Akinlabi successfully got the job and took office some months ago. Deserving to occupy this position from an objective point of view, Prof. Akinlabi also embodies the AU Gender mainstreaming policy.
But, who is she actually? Professor Esther Titilayo Akinlabi is a Full Professor. She obtained her First degree from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (1997), a Master’s degree from University of Port Harcourt (2003) and a Doctorate degree from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa (2010).
Prior to joining PAULESI, Prof Akinlabi served for ten years at the Department of Mechanical Engineering Science, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Johannesburg (UJ), South Africa, where she was respectively Head of Department and Vice Dean for Teaching and Learning of the Faculty.
She is a rated National Research Foundation (NRF) researcher in South Africa and has demonstrated excellence in all fields of endeavors. She is also a registered member of many professional bodies. Self-motivated, driven by excellence and passionate about impacting lives, Prof. Akinlabi is a recipient of several local and international research grant awards.
PROFESSOR ESTHER TITILAYO AKINLABI New Director of PAULESI 1 Married to Dr. Akinlabi and happy mother of two, she believes in being judged by her output, not merely on gender and strives daily to exemplify this idea.
She is currently serving as the Director of the Pan African University for Life and Earth Sciences Institute (PAULESI), Ibadan, Nigeria. This institute offers several Master’s and Doctorate programmes including: Masters (M.Sc)
• Master in Petroleum Geosciences
• Master in Mineral Exploration
• Master in Reproductive Health science
• Master in Reproductive Biology science
• Master in Plant Breeding
• Master in Environmental Management
• Master in Photochemistry and Medicinal plants
• Master in Sport sciences
• Master in Veterinary medicine, Avian medicine option
• Master in Veterinary medicine, Vaccine production and Management PhD
• PhD in Geosciences Mineral Exploration
• PhD in Petroleum Geosciences
• PhD in Reproductive Health Sciences
• PhD in Reproductive Biology sciences
• PhD in Plant Breeding
• PhD in Environmental Management
We wish her good luck and full success in this new challenge!