Prof. Olayinka Ramota Karim is the new Vice Chancellor of Fountain University, Osogbo, Osun State, and here are 10 things to know about her.
1. Until her appointment as the Vice-Chancellor of Fountain University,Professor Olayinka Karim was a lecturer with the University of Ilorin.
2. She was born 52years ago in Ijebu-ode, Ogun State. Former Vice-Chairman and Secretary, Women Mgt Committee, NASFAT Tanke Branch. She is a member of the NMSS Committee of hosting fathers and mentors for IVC recently constituted by HRH the Emir of llorin which successfully hosted over 4000 students from 19 Northern Nigeria including FCT Abuja. She is the Current Dean, Faculty of Agriculture. University of Ilorin.
3. The varsity don began her academic career in Food Science and Technology in 1992 when she obtained B.Sc (Hons.) degree in the discipline from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.
4. She later acquired an M.Sc degree from the University of Ibadan, in 1995 and a Ph.D. degree from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, as the first Ph.D. graduate of the Department of Food Science and Technology in 2005.
5. Additionally, she had a Diploma in Agribusiness and Post-harvest Management (Israel) in 2015, and Certificates in Inter-religious Dialogue, Conflict Transformation and Mediation (Abuja) in 2019; Advanced Digital Appreciation Programme-Tertiary (Abuja) in 2010; Microsoft Learning Content Development System (Ilorin) in 2009, and Research Methodology in Science (NIFST) was obtained in 2000.
6. Prof. Karim, has invested over 24 years of enviable teaching, research, community service, and consulting in Food Science and Technology and to humanity in general.
7. As a devoted and committed teacher, she has taught over twenty courses in Food Science and Technology and Home Economics at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Kwara State University (KWASU), and the University of Ilorin. Prof. Kareem, in 2015/2016 at KWASU, facilitated the creation of the Department of Food Science and Technology from the former Department of Food, Agriculture, and Bio-engineering.
8. Her teaching experience has been commended by many students and been awarded the Best Annual Lecturer by some Students’ Associations seven times at OOU and the most friendly female lecturer at the University of Ilorin. The don has successfully supervised and co-supervised 94 B.Sc.; M.Sc.and Ph.D. dissertations and theses in Food Science and Home Economics, both in Nigeria and abroad.
9. As a focused scientist and innovative researcher, she has enjoyed several grants and sponsorships, including Food Processing expert in the multi-disciplinary research on cubing of iru (a traditional condiment) project (2010) and the preservation of tomato (2014) sponsored by TETFUND. Other grants won include the Institution-Based Research Fund in 2017, Unilorin Laboratory to Product for commercial production of ginger-spiced kulikuli (2018), N.G. Patel to Uka Tarsadia University, India (2018), and Grant by Global Affairs Canada and Action Aid Nigeria (2020). She is a member of an international team of 13 Professors in the Creative innovation industry program for leading the future smart food industry sponsored by The Brain Korea 21 Project. In 2013 she won a scholarship for a Diploma Study in Post-harvest handling and Processing in Israel.
10. The Vice Chancellor has participated in over sixty conferences, workshops, training and seminars at local, national and international levels. In 2020 she delivered the 195th Inaugural Lecture at the University of Ilorin and this made me be the first female Inaugural Lecturer from the Faculty of Agriculture and the first from my Department.
