Fellows Elected in 2019

FELLOWS ELECTED IN 2019 Fellows of the AAS One of the core mandates of The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) is to recognise excellence and it does this is by electing scholars who have excelled in their fields of expertise as its members. The AAS Fellowship comprises individuals who have reached the highest level of excellence in their field of expertise and have made contributions to the advancement of the field on the African continent. Fellows of The AAS are elected based on their achievements that include their publication record, innovations, leadership roles and contribution to society.The AAS is delighted to announce the 2019 election of the Fellows below. BIOGRAPHY Chedly Abdelly | Fellow Professor Chedly Abdelly obtained his Doctorate of State in Natural Sciences from the Faculty of Sciences of Tunis (1997). He coordinated several national and international research projects. He is internationally recognized as an accomplished ecologist and eminent halophyte specialist. He serves as CEO of the Tunisian National Agency for the Promotion of Scientific Research since 2017, CEO of the Centre of Biotechnology of Borj Cedria, CBBC, 2011-2017; Director of the laboratory of Extremophile Plants (2010-2018) and the Laboratory of Plant Adaptation for Abiotic Stresses (2002-2010). Professor Chedly Abdelly has actively and remarkably contributed in the field of Biological Sciences, with particular emphasis on the characterization of the of plant responses to abiotic constraints using physiological, biochemical and molecular parameters, addressing plant behavior to combined environmental constraint, the valorization of extremophile plants in the rehabilitation of marginal areas and the characterization of extremophile plants in order Chedly Abdelly to identify promising species which combine stress tolerance and economic potential, new sources of biomass for human nutrition and the production of energy biomaterials and biomolecules of interest He has an outstanding proven track record of publications in distinguished journals (440 publications, h index 62, 14,617 citations) and edited the book “Biosaline Agriculture and High Salinity Tolerance”. Besides 03 patent inventions, he supervised 73 PhD thesis and 37 Master students. He obtained several prestigious prizes: the Presidential Prize of the Graduation Diploma from the Higher School of Teaching (1980), the Presidential Award for the Best Researcher in Biotechnology (2016); the National Order of Merit for Science and Education (2017), the Presidential Award for the best Laboratory (2018) and Continental Prize for scientific excellence “Kwame Nkrumah” (2020). Finally, he was elected as full member of the Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts (2019) and Fellow African Academy of Sciences ‘FAAS’ (2020). Kayode Oyedode Adebowale | Fellow Professor Kayode Oyedode Adebowale was born January 11, 1962. He completed his BSc, MSc and PhD programmes at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He became a Professor of Industrial Chemistry in 2006. He had postdoctoral experience at the Ebehards Karls University, Tuebingen, Germany and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Italy. He has won several accolades which include Fellow, Nigeria Academy of Science, Polymer nstitute of Nigeria, Chemical Society of Nigeria and Science Association of Nigeria. Outside the shores of Nigeria, Fellow Royal Society of Chemistry, Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung and lately, African Academy of Science. Professor Adebowale has a track record of distinguished research and service and he is currently conducting research in Applied Chemistry (Industrial Chemistry). Professor Adebowale has published widely in both National and international Journals of repute and has served as external examiners in Nigeria and beyond. To date, he has Kayode Adebowale published over 130 research articles and a national patent. On the Google scholar, he has an H-index of 40; On Scopus an H-index of 35. He has mentored several Bachelors, Masters, and fourteen Doctoral students who are distinguished scholars in their respective institutions in Nigeria and abroad. He is the Chairman of the Chemical Society of Nigeria (South Western Region). He has won research grant of the International Foundation for Science IFS, Sweden. He is a recipient of the prestigious 2013 African Union Kwame Nkrumah Continental Scientific Award in Science, Technology and Innovation. He has attended the Senior Executive Course of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies leading to the award of Member of National Institute, mni. He is currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Professor Adebowale is on the International Scientific Advisory Board of the African Centre of Excellence for Water and Environmental Research (ACEWATER). He is currently involved with the Nigerian Young Academy, where he supports two national awards for young scientists one of which is for distinguished young women in Chemical Sciences research. He is married to Dr Yemisi Adebowale and they are blessed with three children. 4 | FELLOWS OF THE AAS 2019 BIOGRAPHY Richard A. Adegbola | Fellow Professor Richard Adegbola is a Consultant and Research Professor at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, and Independent Consultant in Immunisation and Global Health at RAMBICON, Lagos. He has made an outstanding contribution to microbial infections and global health for more than three decades. He trained as a Microbiologist in Nigeria and in the United Kingdom. He has worked in diagnostic microbiology, academia, philanthropy and pharmaceutical industry, across three continents. As a scientist he has ensured that his work is of the highest international standard and of great relevance to the needs of developing countries, particularly Africa. The impact of his work from the MRC Unit The Gambia on the epidemiology and prevention of Hib and pneumococcal diseases is a matter of public record and is well recognized within the field. Hib disease has virtually disappeared from countries in which Hib conjugate vaccines have been introduced, saving many lives, and preventing long-lasting disability. The overall direction of his work is aimed at epidemiology and prevention of pneumonia, and reduction of Richard A. Adegbola childhood mortality. Prof Adegbola is a fervent advocate of capacity development. In The Gambia, he taught and developed many young scientists from Africa. He has retained strong links with Nigeria, supporting colleagues in several Nigerian Universities. He has achieved many recognitions of his contributions including an honorary Professorship at University of Leicester, election to Fellowships of the UK’s Royal College of Pathologists and Royal 2019 AAS THE OF FELLOWS College of Physicians, and the Nigerian Academy of Science. Prof Adegbola was a member of the World Health Organization’s Meningitis Vaccine Project Advisory Group and was Vice Chair of the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership Board. He is a member of the WHO Africa Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group (RITAG), and a Trustee of the Expanded Civil Society Initiative on Immunization in Nigeria. Martin Antonio | Fellow Martin Antonio is a Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Global Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and based full-time at the MRC Unit The Gambia where he is a MRC Principal Investigator and Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for New Vaccines Surveillance. He is also a member of the Unit’s Senior Strategic Leadership Board and Chairs the West Africa Strategy and partnership. In this role, he represents the Unit at most regional meetings in Africa including the West Africa Global Health Alliance, ECOWAS, AU’s Africa CDC, WHO AFRO and West Africa Health Organisation. He serves on numerous Scientific Advisory Boards & Committees including Board member of the West Africa Global Health Alliance (WAGHA), member of The Gambia Government/MRC Joint Ethics Committee (and acted as Scientific advisor on the ethics committee), member of the MRC Unit The Gambia Scientific Coordinating Committee, Co-Chair of The Gambia Government MDR-TB National Committee, member of the International Human Microbiome Consortium, member of WHO technical working group for Invasive Bacterial Vaccine Martin Antonio Preventable Disease Surveillance Network (Geneva), Expert Panel Member on Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Health, UK, Special Advisor to WHO on Meningitis Outbreaks in Africa, a member of Board of Trustees SOS Children›s Villages The Gambia. Additionally, served as Expert Panel Member on diarrheal diseases, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). Previously, he served as a member of European Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) Developing Countries Coordinating Committee (TB expert for West Africa Region), member of International Scientific Advisory Board, University of Cape Town Clinical Infectious Diseases Research initiative (CIDRI). Published more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications and supervised eleven PhD students in UK and African Universities He is currently advising on the COVID-19 pandemic ‘rapid support team’ in The Gambia and also in West Africa via Africa CDC, LSHTM and with WHO AFRO. 5 | www.aasciences.africa BIOGRAPHY Kétévi Adiklè Assamagan | Fellow Dr. Kétévi Adiklè Assamagan is a tenured physicist at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). After the BSc from the University of Lomé, he won a scholarship—sponsored and managed by the African-American

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