NWU professor elected as VP of OWSD

Professor Olubukola Babalola from the NWU Mafikeng Campus in the Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology was recently elected Vice-President for the Africa region of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD). The appointment was made during the OWSD fifth general meeting at an international conference hosted by the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR).

Prof Babalola is the Director for the Food Security and Safety Niche area and the Principal Investigator Department of Microbial Laboratory at the NWU Mafikeng Campus. She is a former OWSD fellow and is actively engaged in the mentoring of current OWSD fellows and other women scientists; over 75 scholars of microbiology have graduated under her research mentorship. She is also a member of the South African Women in Science and Engineering (SAWISE) and the South African Association of Women Graduates (SAAWG), among others.

Prof Babalola has had a prolific career and has published 75 peer-reviewed journal articles, seven book chapters, and 50 conference proceedings/abstracts. She enjoys international collaborations, research grants and has received many awards. She has more than 40 professional certificates in her area of interest from the University of California, Berkeley, University of Mauritius, Reduit, and Bradford University, among others. Her wealth of internal experience spans through Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

The OWSD is an independent, non-profit and non-governmental body based at the offices of TWAS, in Trieste, Italy. It provides research training and networking opportunities for women scientists throughout the developing world at different stages in their careers.

The OWSD also has a chapter in South Africa, which is hosted by the Academy of Science of South Africa. It was inaugurated in 2009 and is constituted by a group of OWSD members who aim to increase and promote female participation in science and technology professions, in scientific leadership, and in the decision-making processes at national level.