February 17, 2025

Unilagsun

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I Plan to Reduce Food Wastage – Overall Best in PhD Thesis

By Azeezat Olatunde

Dr. Adetoun is using her interest in industrial chemistry to create impact in society. She shared how she intends to use her research which won the best PhD thesis Award to reduce food wastage in Nigeria. This is her story.

1. Can you please introduce yourself?

I am Dr. Adetoun Akitoye, a proud graduate of the University of Lagos, where I recently earned the Best Ph.D. Thesis Award for the 2023/2024 academic year. My academic journey began in Industrial Chemistry at this same University, and over the years, I’ve dedicated myself to impactful research, community service, and mentoring young girls. Outside academia, I am passionately committed to building up girls as pillars of nation-building through my Foundation. I have had the opportunity to leverage global platforms like the TechWomen Fellowship and WorldConnect grant to advocate for women in STEM.

2. How did you react to receiving the best thesis award?

I received the news just before sleeping on January 1, 2025. It was both humbling and exhilarating. It felt like a divine affirmation of all the hard work, sleepless nights, and firm dedication I had poured into my research. I took a moment to reflect on how far I’d come and gave thanks and worship to God Almighty. My family and mentors supported me throughout the journey, and I received the news with great surprise and excitement.

3. Can you explain the problems you tried to solve in your thesis?

My thesis addressed pressing issues in food security and sustainable agriculture, specifically post-harvest losses in cassava. My research particularly examined how to inhibit the production of excess reactive oxygen species to extend the shelf-life of the crop. This approach would reduce wastage and improve the livelihood of smallholder farmers.

4. What were the challenges you faced during your PhD?

Pursuing a PhD is not without its trials; challenges come in different forms. From securing adequate funding to achieve quality output to navigating knotty stages, many of those moments were filled with uncertainty. However, persistence, consistency, and prayers at every step of the way kept me going. All of the hard times eventually made me stronger.

5. Were you at any point discouraged during your PhD?

I had many moments of doubt, discouragement and demoralisation, especially when experiments didn’t yield expected results or the workload became overwhelming, and I had to juggle many things. However, I kept up the faith and thrived regardless because it was a journey I prayed about even before the sojourn.

6. What are your plans, and how do you hope to make more impact?

Moving forward, I aim to translate my research into scalable solutions that can directly benefit farmers and communities. I plan to collaborate with the Nigerian government, agricultural policymakers, NGOs, and private sectors to implement strategies for reducing general food wastage. Additionally, I want to mentor upcoming researchers, especially girls, and create more opportunities for them. I have already started doing all of these through my Foundation, Mademoiselle.

7. What is your advice to aspiring PhD students?

Keep things as simple as possible because great things are a build-up of several simple things put together. Don’t aim for a Nobel Laureate. Instead, have a clear goal, break it down into achievable chunks, take stock daily, seek a good mentor, collaborate, innovate, and surround yourself with the correct associations. Also, brace yourself for difficult times when you won’t feel like doing anything, and people may fail you. Remember that you can always hold on to God when you get to that bridge.