Prof. Ayodele Francis Ogunye was born on July 31, 1942. He attended Molusi College, Ijebu-Igbo between 1956 and 1960 and Government College Ibadan on Ijebu-Igbo Local Government Scholarship to read for the HSC in 1961.He taught briefly at Molusi College, Ijebu-Igbo from December 1962 after the HSC and was admitted to Imperial College of Science, Medicine and Technology, University of London, London, England on the Federal Government Scholarship in September 1963 to read for a degree course in Chemical Engineering, which he completed in June 1966.

After the completion of the degree and the Diploma of City and Guilds Institute of London at Imperial College, London, he proceeded to the University of Waterloo, Canada, where he completed the Masters degree in 1967 and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Chemical Engineering in 1969. On January 6 1970, he was named the Dean of Engineering Post Doctoral Distinction Fellow. He held this position until August 27, 1970 when he returned to Nigeria.

He was appointed Lecturer Grade II in Chemical Engineering from September 2, 1970 at the University of Ife, Ile-Ife and promoted Lecturer Grade I in October 1971. He left Ife to start the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Lagos in August 1973 as a Senior Lecturer. At Unilag, he was appointed Associate Professor in June 1976 and Professor in March 1979 at the age of Thirty Six. He was at different times, Acting Head and Head of the Department, until he voluntarily resigned as the Head, eighteen months before the expiry of his term, on October 1, 1980. During the period, he organized and built the Department at the University of Lagos in a short time. He recruited an excellent group of academic staff comparable in training and scholarly attainment with first class institutions in Chemical Engineering in other parts of the world.

Prof Ogunye had a traumatic break in his brilliant academic career that affected his research activities when in December 1980 his appointment was terminated along with five other Professors and the Registrar of the University. He returned to the University in July 1987. Prof. Ogunye’s research papers have been cited by numerous authors in British, American, Canadian, Japanese, Russian, German, Polish Journals and top undergraduate and postgraduate text books in Great Britain and North America.

Professor Ogunye is pioneering research in the area of Optimal Control of Reactors with Catalyst Decay over four decades ago is still the reference point for present day researchers and process control practitioners in this area.  Between 1971 and 1973, Prof. Ogunye was consultant to USA National Academy of   Engineering, advising on Computer Aids to Chemical Engineering Education. He was also a Canadian International Development Agency/National Research Council Fellowship Award recipient between 1976 and 1978.

Prof Ogunye served University of Lagos meritoriously despite the traumatic break.  He was at various times elected to serve on highest and most sensitive University statutory Committees. He retired after 17 years as Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Lagos, in September 1995.

On his retirement he endowed the Department which he started in 1973 with his gratuity and his monthly pension since retirement. The endowment is presently managed by the Board of Trustees of Prof. A. F. Ogunye Trust Fund by eminent Nigerians.

Prof. Ogunye served on the Council of Nigerian Society of Engineers and has been on the Council of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering since its inception in 1999. He is a Registered Engineer of U.K and Nigeria. He was elected Fellow of The British Institution of Chemical Engineers in 1978 as the second Nigerian so elected to that professional membership grade. He is also a Fellow of Nigerian Society of Engineers, Foundation Fellow, Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers, Foundation Fellow and past President of Nigerian Academy of Engineering, past President of Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers.

Prof. Ogunye currently serves on the boards of some companies which include Omatek Ventures PLC and chairs the board of three private companies including Phoenix Oil Company Nigeria Limited. He is currently the Pro-Rector and Chairman of Council, Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic, Ijebu-Igbo.

SPECIALIZATIONS

• Theory & Practice of Process modelling, Optimization & Control, Petroleum Products Marketing, Nigerian Local Content Studies & Industrial Waste Management