The West Africa Science Service Centre in Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), with operational base at the Federal University of Technology Akure, FUTA now has a new Director. He is Professor Ifeoluwa Adebowale Balogun, a Professor of Urban Climatology, Biometeorology and Climate Change in the University’s Department of Meteorology and Climate Science.
Conveying the terms of the appointment approved by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Adenike Oladiji, the Registrar, Mr. Charles Adeleye, in a letter he signed said Professor Balogun will take charge of the daily operations of the Centre, oversee the German Government Sponsored Graduate Research Programme in WASCAL and initiate operational guidelines for the general administration of the Centre for a period of two years.
Professor Balogun is in a familiar turf. He is a tested and trusted hand in Climate Science and Change. He served as Associate Director (Remote sensing and GIS) at the Centre for Space Research and Applications (CESRA) of the University between January 2013 and January 2018. He also served as Deputy Director of Doctoral Research Program in West African Climate Systems (DRP-WACS), West African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) between April 2020 and June 2024 before his appointment as substantive Director of the Centre.
Balogun who is a member of several local, International and Professional Bodies such as the Nigerian Meteorological Society (NMetS), International Association for Urban Climate (IAUC), International Society of biometeorology (ISB), African Meteorological Society (AfMS), Atmospheric Research Group (ARG), African Fire Network (Afrifirenetwork), AIMES Young Scholar’s Network. (AIMES-YSN) has as a result of hard work received several national and international awards to his credit. These include the Lowry Award for Best African Graduate Student Presentations at ICUC-7 in Yokohama, Japan (2009). International Association on Urban Climate (IAUC)/American Meteorological Society (AMS) Lowry Award for best African graduate student’s presentation in University College Dublin, Ireland in 2012. Recently he was awarded a Fellowship of the Occupational Safety Society of Nigeria and James Kweku Eshun Mentoring Award of the YouthMappers International and USAID GEOCENTER in March 2024.
The West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) is a German Government funded capacity building program for climate change. On the 10th of August 2010, The Federal University of Technology, Akure, was selected as the Lead University for the Graduate Research Program (GRP) in the West African Climate System (WACS). The program is for the training of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. D) students in all aspects of the West African Climate System.
