They volunteer their time to talk to ImpactLabs students about what has helped them grow professionally and otherwise, and discuss their projects/business concept/social change program to get the students thinking about how they can also make at least as much impact in the future. Our speakers are accomplished engineers, entrepreneurs or inspiring mentors in the Nigerian technology space.
Tolulope Adesina is a seasoned entrepreneur with more than 10 years’ experience in various industries ranging from educational services provision, advisory and consulting to ICT infrastructure design and deployment, consulting and advisory services.
He combines his entrepreneurial passion with University teaching and research. With research interests in Intelligent Systems, Smart Embedded Devices (Internet of Things), and Heterogeneous Networks, he worked between 2009 and 2010 with Bingham University, Nassarawa state, Nigeria, in the Department of Computer Science, before he joined Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. Between 2010 November and 2014 July, he served as a faculty member in the Department of Physical Sciences, Bells University of Technology, where he coordinated student research projects’ initiatives with the Communication and Signal Processing and ICT4D Research Groups in the University. During this period, the research groups, under his leadership secured two grants from IBM, USA, Global University Programs within eight months. From August 2014 to November 2014, he worked as a Senior RF Engineer with TYDACOMM Limited, a telecommunications outfit in Lagos, Nigeria, which delivers long range antenna solutions for mobile operators.
He is currently serving in Bells University of Technology, Ota, as a faculty. He also currently coordinates the activities of Technology Innovation Labs, a research lab cum technology startup incubator.
Nwike is a PhD candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research at the MIT Reacting Gas Dynamics laboratory focuses on modeling, thermodynamic analysis and optimization of chemical looping combustion systems. He previously obtained his master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at MIT in 2011 after which he worked in Nigeria’s power sector designing distribution substations. Before MIT, he studied at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Paula obtained her MSc. in Computer Science & Systems at the University of Washington (UW), USA in 2014. While at UW, she served as the President of Women in Computing Sciences, where she coordinated seminars and meet-ups with companies like Amazon and Intel. She had her undergraduate degree with honors in Computer Science from the Bells University of Technology, Ota, Nigeria. She has industry experience with stints at the Applied Computer Service department at Integrated Data Service Limited (subsidiary of NNPC), Benin and Petroleum Geo-Services (Nigeria) Limited, Lagos.
Her research interests are Human Computer Interaction, User Experience (particularly in the use of pedagogical tools), S.T.E.M Education (especially in developing countries), Gender Issues in Learning Environments and Social Computing. Paula is passionate about ICT education for kids and young adults, which led to her volunteering teaching services to Intel’s Club House (Programming for girls) in Tacoma, USA and Coderdojo@BellsTech, Nigeria (a community service arm of Technology Innovation Labs). She currently serves as an academic staff in the Department of Computer Science and Technology at Bells University of Technology, Ota, Nigeria.
Joy graduated in June 2013 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She worked as an intern in Chile and Mexico, helped develop a learning program in Israel and Mexico, and teamed up with a local NGO in Jamaica to train and equip teachers with the skills needed to best utilize computers in the classroom and disseminate knowledge within their specific communities. She previously worked as a Technical Coordinator and GPSA Medical Fellow at the Developing World Healthcare Technologies Lab at Duke University where she oversaw projects in Guatemala, Zambia, and St. Vincent. She is currently the Recruitment and Admissions Assistant at the Office of Engineering Outreach Programs at MIT.
Moses Achas is a graduate of Bells University of Technology, Ota, where he had his first degree in Information Technology. He has worked with established industries like Access Bank Nigeria Ltd. in their Information Technology Department and Cyborg Nigeria where he served as the company’s representative on technical issues to client firms.
He currently works with Bells University of Technology in the Department of Information Technology while undergoing a graduate program at Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria.
Sowunmi Olaperi is a graduate of Computer Science from Bells University of Technology and is currently undergoing her masters programme in Computer Science (Software Engineering) at Covenant University. Her research interests lie in Requirements Engineering, Intelligent Software Systems and Mobile Computing. She is currently involved in empowering women and girls in a bid to bridge the digital divide amongst the Nigerian female folk via the platform of WITIN – Women in Technology in Nigeria. In the near future, she hopes to research on leveraging Data Mining and Big Data technologies to enhance health care in Nigeria.
Mureji obtained her MSc in International Health Policy (Health Economics) at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 2013. She had her undergraduate education in Biomedical Engineering at Harvard University.
Mureji is interested in the role of the private sector in building in-country or regional medical device industries in the developing world. She has developed and explored her interest further through travels to West Africa, a trip to Nicaragua with MIT’s D-lab Health, internships in Bangladesh and Switzerland and an independent research culminating in an undergraduate senior thesis and book on medical devices and biomaterials for the developing world.
Ayo is graduate of Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bells University of technology. His research interests lie in areas of Energy efficient system,
Embedded systems, Internet of things devices and precision agriculture. He is currently a design engineer in a tech firm (Center4Tech). He teaches and carries out 3D Modelling and Simulation, works with software packages, hacks hardware, develops software, and carries out projects on time dependent environment, and system design and analysis.
Babatunde Alawode is a third-year graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He co-founded TheBridgeInitiative, a free mentorship service for prospective graduate students from Africa applying for graduate school in the United States. At MIT, he carries out fundamental material science research on an economically viable method of converting greenhouse gases to useful fuels. He obtained master’s degrees in Material Science and in Mechanical Engineering in 2015 and has been enrolled in a PhD program in Mechanical Engineering since 2014. Prior to MIT he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Lagos, Nigeria and worked at Schlumberger (an oilfield servicing firm), and EY and McKinsey (consultancies).
Samuel O. Enoch-Oghene is a very passionate visionary of maximizing the human potential. A native of Oteri, Ughelli-North Local Government area of Delta State, he is currently a PhD candidate in the department of electronic & electrical engineering (working in battery state of charge estimation) of Obafemi Awolowo University. He had his first degree in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.
Samuel is a passionate advocate of systems thinking as well as a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to solving problems. An avid cyclist, he is the team lead in a number of startups: Life and Fitness Cycling, ZIWAS(Zoe Integrated Waste Solutions) and 3-Sams.
His consistent passion about learning while doing, STEM education for people of all ages has led him to work with groups which include SEED (Schlumberger Excellence in Educational Development) and TAHMO (Trans-African Hydro Meteorological Observatory).
Samuel believes that science, technology, engineering and mathematics should be a consistent part of our everyday life.
