Olaniyi Amos Fawole

Olaniyi A. Fawole (Ola) is a Nigeria-born South Africa-based Agriculture researcher at University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He is an associate professor of postharvest crop preservation with a firm focus on the reduction of food loss and waste and how the preservation of nutritious food can ultimately improve health outcomes. Fawole is also an extraordinary associate professor in the Department of Horticultural Science, Stellenbosch University. 
 
== Life and Career ==
Olaniyi's research is firmly focused on how the preservation of nutritious food can ultimately improve health outcomes. He earned a BSc at Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria and an MSc at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In 2013, he obtained a PhDAgric (Postharvest Technology) from Stellenbosch University (SU). His PhD was followed by a period as a postdoctoral fellow (sponsored by Claude Leon Foundation, UK) at Stellenbosch University before his appointment and promotion as a researcher and senior researcher in 2016 and 2018, respectively, at the same University. 
==Career==
Fawole is a professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Biotechnology at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He holds the South African Research Chair in Sustainable Preservation and Agroprocessing (SPAR) and is the founding director of the Postharvest and Agroprocessing Research Centre (PARC) at the University of Johannesburg. His work promotes sustainable food production and aims to reduce food waste, particularly in African urban areas. 
Fawole also serves as a Professor Extraordinaire at Stellenbosch University (South Africa), Visiting Professor at the University of Bari (Italy), and Senior Research Fellow at the UNESCO International Centre for Biotechnology (Nigeria).
His research centers on maintaining quality and safety in fresh horticultural crops and adding value through agroprocessing. He has published over 200 research papers, with an H-index of 42 and more than 6,000 citations. He has served on advisory boards with organizations like the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa.
Fawole co-chaired the 3rd All Africa Postharvest Congress and Exhibition with the African Union in 2021 and convened the Vth International Symposium on Pomegranate and Minor Mediterranean Fruits in 2022.
== Research Interests ==
Fawole is currently leading research on development and application of nanocomposites and bioplastic for postharvest crop preservation and protection; maturity indexes and storage protocols for indigenous & horticultural crops; and investigating value-adding potentials of horticultural and medicinal crops using sustainable agro-processing technologies. Fawole is recognised globally as one of the leading researchers on postharvest technology of pomegranate fruit. His academic activities involve interactive teaching, research and community engagement.
== Recognition and Awards ==
Fawole has published more than 100 journal articles and conference papers (see list of publications, citations and H-index). In December 2015, Fawole was awarded a Y1 rating by the National Research Foundation, South Africa. He was inducted as a young affiliate of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in 2016 for contributions to Science in Africa. He is an elected Technical Board Membership of CIGR Section VI: Bioprocesses Postharvest Technology and Process Engineering in 2018. He is the Convener of ISHS V International Symposium on Pomegranate and Minor Mediterranean Fruits. In March 2021, he was selected as one of the top forty promising African early career researchers by the African Academy of Sciences.
Category:Agricultural research
Category:Professors
Category:Obafemi Awolowo University alumni
Category:University of KwaZulu-Natal alumni