UNILAG AI Research Lab Hosts Masterclass on Research Methodology and AI Integration

The Nigeria Artificial Intelligence Research Lab (NAIL) at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) hosted a Masterclass on Thursday, December 11, 2025, focusing on Research Methodology and the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in academic research.

The session aimed to equip researchers with the tools to enhance research quality and adopt AI technologies in their scholarly work.

The event was officially launched by Dr. Oladipupo Sennaike, Principal Investigator of NAIL-UNILAG, a two-year project jointly funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC-CIRD) and UK International Development (UKID). Dr. Sennaike highlighted the Lab’s role in ensuring Nigerian research meets international standards and outlined its three working groups dedicated to advancing AI adoption in higher education.

Participants engaged in an interactive icebreaker session, including the “Research Insight Tag-Cloud,” moderated by Maxwell Igweogu, a PhD student in the Department of Computer Science. The activity mapped participants’ knowledge levels on Research Methodology and guided the training approach.

Professor Michael Kunnuji, immediate past Head of the Department of Sociology and an expert in Public Health and Population Studies, led the intensive training sessions. He emphasized the centrality of philosophical paradigms—Ontology, Epistemology, Axiology, and Methodology—in guiding research design and approach. Prof. Kunnuji also discussed the “Indigenous Paradigm,” advocating for recognition of diverse knowledge systems and the decolonization of research.

The Masterclass covered steps for determining appropriate study methodologies, including aligning research aims with phenomena, paradigms, literature, and measurability. Participants were guided on reflective practices, cyclical research processes, and rigorous note-taking for effective scholarship.

Ethical considerations formed a key component of the training. Prof. Kunnuji stressed the principle of “Do no harm” and highlighted autonomy, beneficence, non-malfeasance, and justice as foundational ethical requirements. He urged researchers to secure ethical clearance before data collection and to ensure their work addresses broader societal problems.

AI tools and their integration into research were examined in depth. Prof. Kunnuji recommended applications such as Elicit, Research Rabbit, LitMaps for literature review, TurboScribe and Otter for audio-to-text conversion, and Zotero for reference management. He cautioned participants against over-reliance on AI, emphasizing that human critical thinking and engagement with data remain essential.

The Masterclass concluded with a Q&A session, where participants commended Prof. Kunnuji’s delivery and NAIL’s organization of the program. Dr. Kemi Omotubora, AI Ethics expert and Working Group Lead at NAIL, delivered the vote of thanks.

The session reinforced UNILAG’s leadership in integrating AI into academic research and its commitment to enhancing research methodology standards across Nigerian tertiary institutions.