Funmi Ogundare

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Dr. Olushola Odusanya as the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), Ile Ife, Osun State.

The President’s approval was conveyed to him through a letter signed by the Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Chief Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh. The appointment takes effect from 1st of May 2023.

Until his new appointment, Dr. Odusanya was the Director of the Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Advanced Research Center of the Sheda Science and Technology Complex (SHESTCO), Abuja, and the pioneer leader of the Environmental Biotechnology Group at the Biotechnology Center of SHESTCO.

He obtained Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) and Master of Science (M.Sc) degrees in Biochemistry at the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos (CMUL) in 1987 and 1993 respectively. He later obtained his Ph.D in Food Science and Technology in 1999 from the Department of Food Science and Technology, University Sains Malaysia. He capped it up with a post-doctoral fellowship at the Post Graduate School of Chemical Engineering and Rheology, Himeji Institute of Technology, Shosha, Japan.

A consummate scholar, he has been a visiting scholar at the Materials and Aerospace Engineering School of Princeton University, USA.  He has also been a visiting Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Abuja.  He was also the Co-Center Leader of the World Bank-funded Pan African Materials Institute (PAMI) of AUST and, until his appointment, the Director of the Center for Projects-Based Learning at AUST.

The highly qualified Scientist and Administrator with over two decades of experience in biotechnology research has also received recognition for his substantial work in the Research and Development sector, with over 50 academic publications in peer-reviewed journals, as well as patents.

With deep passion for science and innovation, Dr. Odusanya has engaged in purpose-driven researches that have overcome local challenges by striving to achieve global competence and excellence. A visionary and accomplished scientist who has made a lasting impact on biotechnology and genetic engineering, he has attracted over $12 million of development finance from various sources and mentored countless individuals with his wisdom and resources.

He is also the Regional Coordinator of the Maths and Science for Sub-Saharan Africa (MS4SSA) Initiative, which is a groundbreaking project that promotes innovative teaching methods and good learning outcomes in secondary schools across West Africa. He has been involved in several collaborative projects funded by the World Bank, African Development Bank and other reputable institutions. 

He is on the International Scientific Advisory Boards of the African Materials Research Society (AMRS) and the MS4SSA Initiative where he provides valuable insights and expertise. He holds twos US patents and has co-filed several invention disclosures on Theranostic drug delivery which is a cutting-edge technology that combines diagnosis and therapy in one system. 

He has published extensively in international high-impact factor journals with local and international partners demonstrating his prolific and influential scholarly output.

Before his foray into academics and research, Dr. Odusanya co-founded Sam-Winnie Farms Limited and Biocrops Biotechnology Company Limited which is the pioneer biotechnology company in Nigeria that engages in industrial-scale seeds and seedlings supply.

It is expected that his hands-on approach to the marriage of academics with practicality will be of immense benefit to the crop of mentorship-yearning young Research Fellows at NACETEM. His appointment, which is for a single tenure of five years in conformity with the Conditions of Service for Federal Research and Development Agencies, Institutes and Colleges (COS 2019), is also expected to raise the standard of NACETEM in fulfilling its mandate.

Aged 57, the Lagos-born new Director General/Chief Executive Officer who schooled at the prestigious Igbobi College, Yaba, is married with children.