Professor ADEBAMBO, Ayoka Olufunmilayo is the incumbent Director, Biotechnology Centre and Project Leader, FUNAAB Poultry Breeds Development, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. She started her academic career at the Department of Animal Science, University of Ibadan as a Demonstrator and was the first graduate of Animal Breeding from the University. She worked with the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, where she worked for 16 years in the development of improved Indigenous pig breeds for commercialisation. She was the first Head of Department, Animal Breeding and Genetics at FUNAAB and the first female Professor of Animal Breeding and Genetics in Nigeria. She has similarly served as Dean, College of Animal Science and Livestock Production, FUNAAB and a member, Governing Council, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. She was a Visiting Scholar at the Roslin Institute, Scotland and Visiting Professor at Poultry Breeding Research Institute, Hessaraghata, India and Ohio State University, USA.
Professor Adebambo holds a BSc.degree in Animal Science and Doctor of Philosophy Animal Breeding (Ph.D) from the Premier University of Ibadan, Ibadan and several professional certificates. She is a Life Member and former President of the Genetics Society of Nigeria; Life Member of the Nigerian Society for Animal Production, Member, British Society for Animal Production, American Society for Animal Science, Rare Breeds International (World Society for Conservation of Animal Genetic Resources), World Poultry Science Association and many more. Professor Adebambo is a Registered and Licensed Member of the National Institute for Animal Science, a former Council member and Fellow of the Institute and Animal Science Association of Nigeria.
Professor Adebambo’s major interest is to be able to empower women and youths in the area of poverty alleviation and job creation using her FUNAAB Alpha Poultry Breeds Production project. She enjoys assisting local farmers in establishing pig farms, organizing and Coordinating Short -Term Farmers Training on Pigs and Poultry production, organizing Capacity Building and Training Workshops on Biotechnologies applicable to livestock development, and organizes and participates in professional development courses on Monogastric Animal Breeding, Animal Biotechnology, Laboratory techniques in Molecular genetics, proteomics, etc.
She is a recipient of several awards and Fellowships including: the British Council Award, the Commonwealth Fellowship, Royal Society of England’s Third World Fellowship, World Bank Research Award, Indian Technical Cooperation/SCAAP Fellowship, National Universities Commission Oustanding Research Awards, Gbagura Indigenes Outstanding daughters Merit Award, FUNAAB Vice-Chancellors Research Productivity Award, Distinguished General Chieftaincy title of Gbagura-Land, Remo Secondary School, Old Students’ Merit Award, call to Nigerian Society of Animal Production Honours role and was honoured with Egba-Lisabi’s Service Award as Role Model to Womanhood with several other commendations.
Professor Adebambo is the Project Leader for Development of Improved Indigenous Chicken and Indigenous Broiler Lines for rural producers, a project she has been working on for the past 19 years. She has trained several undergraduate and postgraduate students on several pigs and poultry breeding and production projects.
Professor Adebambo, an erudite scholar and a prolific writer, has a great wealth of research and teaching experience which has culminated into 6 monographs, 1 contribution to books, 10 books, and 4 Commissioned reports. She has 76 articles in highly reputable local and international journals and 62 conference presentations at both local and International Conferences, to her credit. She has supervised several B.Agric. students, completed 10 M.Agric., 9 PhD Students as Major advisor; 13 M.Agric and 3 PhD students as Co-Supervisor; and is currently supervising 3 PhD and 5 M Agric students.
In all, Professor Adebambo is a great scientist, a highly devoted lecturer, a committed and visionary researcher.