IAR&T gets new director

The Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Simeon Bamire, who also serves as the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), has approved the appointment of Professor Gabriel Akinboye Oluwatosin as the new Director and Chief Executive of the Institute for a three-year tenure.

The appointment follows the expiration of the two-term tenure of Professor Veronica Obatolu, the first female Director of the Institute.

Professor Oluwatosin obtained his first degree and master’s degree in Soil Science from the University of Ibadan in 1984 and 1986, respectively, and won the Zard Scholarship for the best graduating MSc student in his year. He also earned his PhD in Soil Survey and Land Evaluation from the same university in 1991.

He obtained a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Beth Dagan International Meteorological Institute, Israel, in 2020.

According to a statement issued by the Head of Public Relations at the Institute, Dr Adeniyi Amusat, Professor Oluwatosin joined the Institute in 1991 as a Research Fellow II and rose through the ranks to the position of Research Professor in 2008.

Professor Oluwatosin is a renowned expert in soil and land management practices, earning him wide recognition within and outside the country. He has won several awards and research grants from both local and international donors.

He has contributed significantly to the growth and development of the Institute and the University at large, positively impacting all the Institute’s mandated areas.

He was the Head of the Land and Water Resources Management Programme between 2018 and 2021, Southwest Farming System Research and Extension Programme of the Institute / Zonal Coordinator, Southwest REFILS between 2009 and 2017, Editor of the Moor Journal of Agricultural Research between 2003 and 2013, Head of Central Laboratory Services and Zonal Coordinator Southwest for Soil Research (NAAP/World Bank) from 1994 to 1998, among other roles.

Professor Oluwatosin has served on various committees within the Institute and the University. He is a member of the African Soil Science Society, Remote Sensing Association of Nigeria, British Soil Science Society, International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), and a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of Nigeria. He has attended several professional conferences and presented papers within and outside the country.

He has over 80 publications to his credit. Members of the Institute and University communities heartily congratulate Professor Oluwatosin on this well-deserved appointment.

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