FUNAAB Holds Maiden Postgraduate Conference to Strengthen Research Excellence

The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) has hosted its maiden Postgraduate Conference, marking a strategic step toward deepening research excellence, innovation, and academic visibility within the institution.

The conference, themed “Showcasing Research Excellence at FUNAAB,” was held on May 25, 2026, at the Postgraduate School Auditorium and was sponsored by the Royal Statistical Society. It brought together postgraduate students, researchers, and scholars across multiple disciplines in what the university described as a foundational platform for structured academic engagement.

Representing the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Olusegun Idowu, described the conference as a historic milestone in FUNAAB’s academic development. He noted that the initiative reflects the university’s deliberate push to strengthen research culture, promote innovation, and align academic outputs with both national development priorities and global knowledge demands.

He further stated that the conference is expected to become a recurring platform that will grow in scope and impact, reinforcing FUNAAB’s position as a research-driven institution. He commended the Postgraduate School for executing the programme, describing it as a reflection of institutional discipline and administrative coordination.

The Country Representative of the Royal Statistical Society, Prof. Olaniyi Olayiwola, also addressed participants, commending the university leadership for supporting research development. He emphasized that the conference created opportunities for intellectual exchange, professional networking, and interdisciplinary collaboration capable of driving societal transformation.

He urged students and early-career researchers to actively engage professional communities within and outside their fields, noting that isolation limits academic and career growth.

Earlier, the Dean of the Postgraduate School, Prof. Olusiji Sowande, explained that the conference was designed to address a long-standing gap in academic visibility for postgraduate research outputs. He noted that many valuable studies often remain confined within thesis repositories without reaching wider academic or policy audiences.

According to him, the platform is intended to showcase research quality, recognize supervisory contributions, and reinforce FUNAAB’s mandate of generating knowledge that is both relevant and impactful to society.

Delivering the keynote lecture titled “Mastering the Research Journey: Thesis Writing, Manuscript Preparations, and Academic Collaboration,” the Dean, College of Food Science and Human Ecology (COLFHEC), Prof. Adebukunola Omemu, emphasized that research success is rooted in persistence rather than speed. She noted that academic research is a demanding process that tests resilience before producing results.

She described research as more than thesis production, highlighting its role in problem-solving, critical thinking, and knowledge creation. She encouraged postgraduate students to transition from passive knowledge consumption to active knowledge generation.

Prof. Omemu also stressed the importance of continuous academic writing, advising students to consistently document ideas, observations, and methodological progress throughout their research process. She explained that a thesis must represent an original contribution to knowledge, grounded in rigorous scholarship and supported by credible evidence.

The conference ended with renewed commitments to strengthen postgraduate research culture, expand academic collaboration, and enhance the visibility of FUNAAB’s scholarly output in national and international academic spaces.