Olanike Kudirat Adeyemo was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria on 17 July 1970[1] to the family of Alhaji Moshood Akanni Salami, Baale Ladogan of Iseyin, Oyo State, and Modupeola Aduke Salami of Ile-Loosare, Igbajo, Osun State.
From 1975 to 1978, Adeyemo studied at LEA Primary School in Kaduna; later, from 1979 to 1981, she studied at CAC Primary School, Sango, Ibadan. She completed her secondary education at Ahmadiyya Grammar School (now Anwar-Ul-Islam Grammar School) in Eleyele, Ibadan, where she obtained her West African Examination Council results in 1986. Before being admitted to the University of Ibadan, Adeyemo briefly obtained Advanced Level studies at St. Annes School, Molete, Ibadan.[1][2]
She got her first degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Ibadan in 1994. She also obtained her master's degree and doctorate degree from the same institution in 1998 and 2005 respectively.[1][3]
Career
From June 1994 to May 1995, Adeyemo participated in the National Youth Service Corps program as a Veterinary Officer with the Safana Local Government Area, Safana in Katsina State.[4] She started her academic career as a lecturer grade 2 in 1999 at the Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine at the University of Ibadan after her master's degree program.[1] In 2002, she was promoted to lecturer grade 1 until 2005 when she was made an assistant professor. In 2008 she was made an associate professor and in 2011 she was promoted to the rank of professor.[1][3][5][clarification needed]
In March 2017, Adeyemo was elected into the newly created office of deputy vice chancellor for research, innovation and strategic partnership. Previously, she was the head of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine department.[6][7]
Adeyemo is the first Nigerian woman in the field of aquatic veterinary medicine. In an interview with The Punch, she described the manly nature of her discipline and said that she gets along better with men than women. She also explained that she got to the top of her profession through hard work, and gender has little to do with it.[11][verification needed]
Other roles
In 2011, Adeyemo was appointed an epidemiological and toxicological expert on the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee (JECFA).[12] In 2012, she was named a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences.[13]
Adeyemo is or has been an executive member of the Global Young Academy (2013), member of the African Academy of Sciences' Commission on Women in Science in Africa (2014-date), member of Mauritius Declaration on Ocean Sciences (2016), member of Nigeria Academy of Science Committee on Science Advice in Africa (2019), Expert Group of the High-Level Panel on Building a Sustainable Ocean Economy (2019).[14] Adeyemo is also a member of the Society of Toxicology, the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association, the Wildlife Disease Association, and the Nigerian Academy of Science.[3]
In 2002, Ademeyo was named a Fellow of the Leadership for Environment and Development program in the UK,[16] and in 2007, was awarded an Eisenhower Fellowship.[17]
In 2010, she was named a Fellow of the African Scientific Institute (ASI) in California,[18] and in 2011 was listed in ASI's edition of "Black Achievers in Science and Technology".[19]
In 2016, she was named a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science.[20] In 2017 she was featured in "Women in Science - Inspiring Stories from Africa", a publication of Network of African Science Academies (NASAC); this publication profiled thirty women from 18 countries across Africa who have excelled in various STEM careers.[21]
In 2020, Adeyemo was awarded Scientist of the Year by the International Achievements Research Center (IARC).[23][7]
Adeyemo is the first female veterinarian to be inducted into the African Academy of Sciences and the Nigerian Academy of Science.[14] and the only person in any Nigerian University who is a Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Science; Fellow, African Academy of Sciences; Fellow, the World Academy of Science; as well as Fellow of International Science Council.[24]
Personal life
Adeyemo is married[14][3] to Biodun Adeyemo, a pharmacist, and together they have three sons and one daughter.[25][26]
Selected scholarly articles
Adeyomo has publications in academic journals, as well as being a reviewer to internationally recognized academic journals.
Agbede, S.A.; Adedeji, O.B.; Adeyemo, O.K. and Olufemi, B.E. (2001). Fish food development, safety and security in Nigeria. Proceedings of the USDA/USAID/NIGERIA sponsored international conference on Food safety and security in Nigeria, held at IITA, Ibadan-Nigeria between 1–3 August 2001. 58–69. USA[full citation needed]
Naigaga, I. and Adeyemo, O.K. (2007). Environmental Change Assessment in Africa: Seasonal Fluctuation in the Atmospheric and Water Levels of Methane and Nitrous Oxide in Selected Aquatic Ecosystems in Uganda and Nigeria. Final Project Report for 2006 START/PACOM African Global Change Research Grants, 26pp.[full citation needed]
Adeyemo, O.K. (2009). Evaluation for Sustainability of Aquaculture Development in Nigeria. Final Project Report on 2008/2009 USDA/Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) grant, 28pp.[full citation needed]
