Internationally renowned microbiologist Prof Olubukola Oluranti Babalola is in the spotlight again. The leader of the Microbial Biotechnology subject group at the North-West University (NWU) has been elected to two strategic committees of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), a global network of science, engineering and medical academies.

Prof Babalola has been elected to the IAP’s programme and development committees, as well as the policy advice committee. The appointment, published on the IAP website on 7 August 2025, is for a three-year term starting on 11 December 2025.

The IAP provides independent advice on issues of interest to the global scientific and policy communities and supports capacity building. Committee members are tasked with offering strategic guidance to the IAP Board and ensuring that regional and institutional perspectives are reflected in the organisation’s activities and programmes.

Prof Babalola is also vice president of the Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World, which has operations in 46 African countries, and serves as foreign affairs secretary of the Nigerian Academy of Science, a role she assumed in May 2024.

Her research is centred on rhizosphere microbiology and the application of beneficial microbiomes in agriculture to support food security, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 of zero hunger. She has produced more than 350 research outputs.

Commenting on her new role in the IAP, she says it represents an opportunity to contribute to IAP’s efforts to address critical issues in science and policy. “Collaboration across regions is essential for finding solutions that work for all communities.”

Prof Olubukola Oluranti Babalola