Back to home ↗A life of scholarship and service
Professor Simisola Mercy Odeyinka's career spans about 35 years of academic distinction, institutional leadership, and community impact — rooted in Animal Science and expressed through a commitment to people, policy and progress.
Professor Simisola Mercy Odeyinka — Obafemi Awolowo University
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife
About 35 years of teaching, research and leadership in Animal Science with a specialisation in Ruminant Nutrition. Her work connects cost-effective feeding systems with food security, sustainability and rural livelihoods in resource-limited environments.
Obafemi Awolowo University
Upon graduating from OAU with a First-Class degree in Agriculture, she became the first female graduate to achieve this distinction at the institution — a milestone that set the tone for a career built on excellence and quiet barrier-breaking.
Obafemi Awolowo University
As Dean, she led a comprehensive effort to restore and modernise the Faculty — raising funds to renovate dilapidated facilities, constructing new livestock housing, and launching a Ram Fattening Scheme in partnership with the Osun State Government. The scheme extended academic research into skills training for youth and smallholder farmers.
Obafemi Awolowo University
Led the university's work on gender policy and institutional change. Achievements include securing approval for an anti-sexual harassment policy, organising the first international gender conference at the institution in two decades, reviving the African Journal of Gender and Development, and initiating a postgraduate programme in Gender Studies and Development.
Obafemi Awolowo University
Served two terms on the Governing Council of OAU, contributing to institutional governance, policy direction, and the long-term strategic development of the university.
Multiple Institutions
Has served on the boards of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Ibadan, and Ekiti State Polytechnic, Isan-Ekiti. She has also served as a consultant to several state governments, providing expert guidance on agricultural development, rural livelihoods, and gender policy.
OAU & Host Communities
Led a landmark community empowerment initiative introducing rural women to income-generating livestock and feed production using Moringa. The project significantly improved livelihoods and demonstrated how applied research can translate into tangible economic benefits for underserved communities.
International recognition
Professional associations
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