FUTES Appoints EKSU Professor, Olumide Ogundipe, as Deputy Vice-Chancellor

The Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences (FUTES), Iyin Ekiti, Ekiti State, has appointed Professor Olumide Moses Ogundipe as its Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

The appointment has attracted commendation from colleagues, academics, and well-wishers within and outside the university community, with many describing it as a recognition of his years of outstanding service, academic excellence, and administrative competence.

Professor Ogundipe, who is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) and the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE), is a Professor of Civil Engineering specialising in Transportation and Highway Engineering. He is also currently serving as a National Executive Council member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

Before his appointment as Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ogundipe served as the Director of Special Duties in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor of FUTES.

He had earlier served as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology on a pro bono basis from April to December 2025, during which he played a key role in coordinating the successful National Universities Commission (NUC) resource verification exercise for eight programmes within the faculty.

He currently chairs the university’s Road Projects Monitoring Committee and serves as a member of the Students’ Disciplinary Committee.

Professor Ogundipe brings to his new role over two decades of experience in academia and engineering practice. He built a significant part of his academic career at Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, where he joined as an Assistant Lecturer in 2004 and rose through the ranks to become Professor with effect from October 1, 2019.

During his tenure at EKSU, he occupied several leadership positions, including Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Head of Department, Chairman of the Faculty of Engineering Postgraduate Committee, and member of various Senate committees and university boards.

The newly appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor obtained his PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, in 2012, through a Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) Scholarship awarded in 2008. His doctoral research focused on the mechanical behaviour of stress-absorbing membrane interlayers.

He earned a Master of Engineering degree from the University of Ilorin in 2006 and obtained a Bachelor of Engineering degree with First Class Honours from the University of Ado Ekiti, now Ekiti State University, in 2001.

A prolific researcher, Professor Ogundipe has published over 100 research works in local and international journals, conference proceedings, and workshops. His research focuses on sustainable asphalt pavement technologies aimed at improving road performance while promoting environmental protection.

He has supervised postgraduate research projects at the Postgraduate Diploma, Master’s, and PhD levels and has served as both internal and external examiner for several universities, including the University of Ilorin, Federal University Oye Ekiti, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, and the Federal University of Technology Akure.

His academic expertise has also seen him participate in the assessment of professorial candidates at institutions such as Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, and Landmark University, Omu-Aran.

Professor Ogundipe has presented papers at international conferences in the United Kingdom, United States, Greece, Poland, France, and Ghana, while also undertaking technical visits to Germany, Spain, and Sweden.

Beyond academia, he serves as Technical Adviser to the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) on the construction of the National Test Track and is a member of the institute’s Technical Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the Ekiti State Road Stakeholders’ Forum.

Within the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Professor Ogundipe previously served as Chairman of the Ado Ekiti Branch from 2018 to 2020 and represented the South-West on the Society’s National Executive Committee between 2024 and 2025, where he chaired the Innovation and Technopreneurship Committee. He currently chairs the Society’s Memoranda of Understanding Implementation Committee.

The appointment is widely regarded as a further recognition of Professor Ogundipe’s contributions to engineering education, research, professional practice, and university administration.