Prof. Oluwole Babfemi Familoni

Professor Oluwole Babafemi Familoni is an accomplished chemist with a distinguished academic and research career. He earned his B.Sc. (Hons) in Chemistry in 1981, followed by an M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, in 1986 and 1990, respectively. In 1988, he was a Predoctoral Fellow at the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA), Rouen, France, and later undertook a Postdoctoral Fellowship (1993–1994) at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, under Professor Vic Snieckus as a CIDA/NSERC Research Fellow.

Beginning his academic career as Lecturer II, Professor Familoni rose to the rank of full Professor of Organic Synthesis in 2004. His research has been recognized with numerous awards, including multiple grants from the Royal Society of Chemistry, London, and the prestigious JWT Jones Travelling Fellowship (1997, 2007). These fellowships facilitated collaborations with Professor A. McKillop (University of East Anglia) and Professor Vic Snieckus at the university of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. He has also received the Alfred Bader Research Fellowship (1999, 2003, 2007) at Queen’s University , Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and the German DAAD Fellowship (2022). His TWAS Basic Research Grant in 2015 further underscores his contributions to organic synthesis. In 2023 he along with his colleagues won a research grant of Twenty three million Naira from TETFund for diabetes wound healing.

Professor Familoni is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (London) (FRSC) Chartered Chemist (C. Chem), the Chemical Society of Nigeria (FCSN), the Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria (FIPAN), and the Nigerian Academy of Science (FAS). He is also a Chartered Chemist and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria (FICCON).

At the University of Lagos, Professor Familoni has held significant administrative positions, including Head of the Department of Chemistry (2002–2005), Dean of Science (2008–2012). and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics and Research) (2019 -2022)

Nationally, Professor Familoni has served on the councils of University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria, He was also on the Governing Council of the Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria. Internationally, He is the Chairman of the Royal Society of Chemistry, London (Nigerian Section), and a member of the Pan African Chemistry Network (PACN) Advisory Board (2014-2021).

His research specializes in the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds and natural product chemistry, with a focus on sulfur-containing heterocycles and physiologically active plant-derived compounds. He has supervised 15 Ph.D. students, many of whom have attained professorial positions, continuing his legacy in organic chemistry research.