Prof Kolawole O. Ajanaku

Prof Kolawole Oluseyi Ajanaku completed all three levels of his Industrial Chemistry education at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria’s leading research-intensive university.

Prof Kolawole further elevated his research credentials through a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship, completing advanced bench work at the Central Glass and Ceramics Research Institute, Kolkata, India. This postdoctoral engagement cemented his mastery of ceramic matrix composites and advanced materials science at the global frontier.

Prof Kolawole was appointed as the 6th substantive Vice-Chancellor of Landmark university in 2023 and in this capacity, leads an institution ranked 2nd best university in Nigeria and 3rd in West Africa in the 2024 Times Higher Education, World University Rankings — a performance that reflects the combined force of visionary leadership and institutional excellence. Most recently, at the 2024 Nigeria Academic Excellence Awards (NAEA), Professor Ajanaku was conferred with the Vice-Chancellor of the Year Award (Academic Development, Private University), while Landmark University simultaneously received the Private University of the Year 2024 (Academic Development) — a rare double recognition that underscored the symbiosis between a leader and the institution he serves.

Prof Kolawole stands as a model of the scholar-administrator — a scientist who never abandoned the laboratory even as he shouldered the weight of institutional governance with over 1,100 citations and h-index of 17 in Scopus. His biography is, in essence, a study in purposeful progression: from Graduate Assistant to Vice-Chancellor; from single-authored bench work to international MoU negotiations; from classroom excellence to national recognition. He remains, at every elevation, a chemist first.