The Director of Pan African University for Life and Earth Sciences, Ibadan (PAULESI), Prof. Titilayo Akinlabi,has been ranked 17th among top 20 authors in Africa by Scholarly Output, from 2015 to 2020.
Akinlabi disclosed this yesterday while speaking in with the newsmen in Ibadan on how she clinched the scholarly rating.
It was gathered that in the recent publication of SciVal, a web-based analytics solution, Akinlabi ranked 17th among the top 500 authors and researchers, by Scholarly Output in Africa for the period covering 2015 to 2020.
Akinlabi attributed the feat to God’s grace and the support she was providing for her students.
“I felt highly humbled when I first saw the publication. I give all glory to God for this feat.
“A lot of things put together helped me, as it is not only one thing that helps a researcher to achieve such a feat.
“I am a people’s person. Back in the University of Johannesburg, I realised that many students like to come to me for supervision.
“It grew to the extent that I had up to 40 students in my research team and I was the main supervisor for their projects.
“You can imagine having 40 students; it could be like 25 doctoral students and 15 master students. I tried my best to provide them with the necessary support, as the research equipment were available there,” she said.
Akinlabi also said that she had a lot of funding from the proposals she had submitted, adding: “With that, I was able to give my students the opportunity to travel.
“They travelled for conferences and research activities to other countries of the world.
“All these enhanced the number of publications because of the broad-base number of students. They were the foot soldiers used by God to enable me achieve such a feat today. So I am dedicating the achievement to all of them.
“It could only have come through hard work and dedication to duties.”
The don said that SciVal had offered access to the research accomplishments of more than 20,100 research institutions and their related researchers in over 231 countries globally.
According to her, she has published over 520 articles in reputable international journal outlets, adding that the articles have received 1,759 citations and 23 h-index.
NAN reports that h-index is an author-level metric, measuring the productivity and citation impact of publications of a scientist or researcher.
NAN also reports that Akinlabi, a Kabba, Kogi-born princess, who assumed office as Director of PAULESI in July 2020, is also a renowned professor of Mechanical Engineering.
Prior to her appointment, she had served as Head of Department and Vice-Dean, Teaching and Learning in her faculty at University of Johannesburg in South Africa.
Akinlabi, with meritorious service at the Department of Mechanical Engineering Science of the university, has research interest spanning modern and advanced manufacturing processes and friction stir welding as well as additive manufacturing.
She also has research in the field of laser-based additive manufacturing, including laser material processing and surface engineering as well as renewable energy and biogas production from wastes.
The don, who is a National Research Foundation-rated researcher in South Africa, had supervised 25 doctoral students and 35 Master students.