The School of Agriculture and Science (SAS) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, has appointed Agbaje Lateef, a scholar in the department of Pure and Applied Biology at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, as an honorary professor.
The Apomu, Isokan Local Government area of ?sun State, born professor is also the head of LAUTECH Nanotechnology Research Group (NANO+), and alumnus of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria where he obtained all his degrees.
Lateef joined the services of his alma mater in 1998 as a graduate assistant and rose to professor in 2013.
In his response, the elated Professor stated that the appointment will afford him an opportunity to take up teaching schedules at UKZN, conduct joint research, seek research grants, and co-supervise postgraduate students to deepen South-South cooperation.
Lateef disclosed that he will be focusing on green nanobiotechnology and circular bioeconomy investigations during his engagement with the South African university.
According to him, the new appointment as an honorary professor followed a nomination and subsequent extensive reviews of his research portfolio by the School of Agriculture and Science (SAS), College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science (CAES), Senate and the Governing Council of UKZN.
Honorary professorship at UKZN is a title awarded to distinguished individuals, recognising their excellence, significant contributions to the academic community, and high standing in their fields.
Recipients have a close association with the University, contributing to research, teaching, grantsmanship, and mentoring of postgraduate students.
UKZN is the 6th best University in South Africa and it features among the top 501-550 institutions globally as ranked by the Times Higher Education (UK). It is a University that is well-grounded in research and equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.
Lateef’s appointment is premised on his contributions in industrial microbiology, biotechnology and nanobiotechnology in general and particularly that he has collaborated with scholars at UKZN leading to more than 50 publications in a decade.
His research partners at UKZN include Evariste Bosco Gueguim-Kana, Lorika Selomi Beukes, and Ntombozuko Matyumza. The current appointment will see him working more closely with Gueguim-Kana, a professor and other scholars at UKZN.
Gueguim-Kana, a Cameroonian is also an alumnus of LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, and an Academic Leader for Research and Higher Degrees at the UKZN School of Agriculture and Science.
He is known for his exploits in applying computer-integrated systems in fermentation technology. At LAUTECH, he spearheaded the development of the results processing software ‘RestKit’ which was actively used for more than a decade within the University and beyond.
Both Lateef and Gueguim-Kana have shared academic history. They were supervised by Julius K?la Oloke, in the Department of Pure and Applied Biology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso for their bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.