Dr Olumuyiwa Adegun gets a lecturing position
Dr Olumuyiwa Adegun was with the GCI from 2014-2017. He was part of the Carnegie programme "Next Generation of African Scholars" at GCI, and later became a postdoc at the Institute before embarking on a lecturing position in Nigeria.
“I was very excited at the opportunity to lecture at the Federal University of Technology in Nigeria. I believe moving into an academic environment in my home country is a step in the right direction. The teaching and research roles associated with the new position speaks to my passion,” says Olumuyiwa.
Olumuyiwa believes that his pre and postdoc research activities, including teaching responsibilities at Wits, has helped prepare him for his current position.
“My academic career began with a Bachelor and Professional Masters degree in Architecture. In pursuit of research interests, I moved to Johannesburg and enrolled for a Masters of the Built Environment and later a PhD at the School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand. My PhD thesis explored the concept of just sustainability at the intersection of informal settlement intervention and green infrastructure in Johannesburg. This research emerged out of curiosity about and interest in informing environmentally sustainable transformations in informal settlements. I joined GCI in early 2014 – six months into my PhD, just after my research proposal was finalised. The years spent with GCI was characterised by support, opportunities in the form of events and encounters that served as stepping stones to my career progress made so far. The GCI feels like a family!” says Olumuyiwa.
He is positive about the future and lists the following as career highlights: “Fruitful mentoring. Impactful research, and the potential to make a significant contribution to sustainable urban development in Nigeria/Africa.” He adds that he has been fortunate to encounter very few obstacles and has high hopes for the future.
In conclusion Olumuyiwa says, “Many thanks for the support from GCI and my supervisor, Prof Marie Huchzermeyer. I still think of myself as part of the GCI and Wits.”