PROFILE OF PROFESSOR ABOABA
Sherifat Adeyinka Aboaba is a Professor of Organic and Natural Product Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry,
University of Ibadan, Nigeria, with more than two decades of teaching, research, postgraduate supervision,
academic administration and community engagement. Her academic career has been characterised by a strong
commitment to scientific research, innovation, mentorship and the translation of research findings into practical and
commercially relevant products and services. Her major research interests centre on natural products, particularly
the chemical composition, characterisation and biological activities of essential oils obtained from Nigerian
medicinal and aromatic plants. Her work has also extended into the development and commercialisation of natural
product-based resources.
Professor Aboaba has published widely in reputable international journals, with over 70 peer-reviewed articles,
three book chapters, and a book to her credit. She has reviewed and still reviewing for several local and international
journals. She is an external examiner and assessor to Universities and Mono-technics. Professor Aboaba has
supervised a total of over 80 undergraduate and postgraduate research projects, including 6 PhD students. She has
won many grants and awards, including the University of Ibadan Senate Research Grant, MacArthur Foundation
Grant for Female Faculty and the TWAS-UNESCO Associateship award as a visiting scholar at the International
Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Pakistan.
Professor Aboaba is a member of several professional associations, including the Chemical Society of Nigeria,
Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World, Science Association of Nigeria, the Institute of
Chartered Chemists of Nigeria, Certified Institute of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Education, Confederation for
Women Entrepreneurship and the American Chemical Society. She is currently the pioneer Chairperson of the
Society of Essential Oils Distillers and Analysts. She has also served on various committees within the University
of Ibadan.
An important dimension of Professor Aboaba's professional development is her growing engagement with
entrepreneurship, innovation and research commercialisation. During her sabbatical in 2022, she served for one
year as Director of Research Management, Innovation and Translation at the Foresight Institute of Research and
Translation, where she coordinated entrepreneurial workshops and coordinated the institute's Students' Research
Group.
At the University of Ibadan, she currently serves as Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation,
where she is involved in promoting entrepreneurship education, innovation, research commercialisation and
entrepreneurial capacity development among staff and students. In this capacity, she has been involved in organising
and facilitating programmes on entrepreneurial mindset development; academic entrepreneurship; research-to
commercialisation; business planning; student entrepreneurship; innovation and startup development; financial
intelligence and entrepreneurial thinking; entrepreneurship education for university staff and students; and industry–
academia collaboration. Her approach to entrepreneurship is particularly significant because it seeks to bridge the
traditional gap between scientific knowledge, innovation and economic value creation.
Professor Aboaba has also demonstrated an interest in the practical application of chemistry and research findings
through innovation and product development. One notable area of this work involves the patent development of a
modified essential-oil steam distillation unit, with emphasis on improving efficiency, affordability, and scalability.
The innovation reflects her broader research philosophy of moving beyond academic publication towards the
development of technologies that can support local production and entrepreneurship. Her interest in essential oils
therefore encompasses the entire value chain from plant materials and chemical characterisation through extraction,
quality assessment, product development, commercialisation and entrepreneurship.
She is a Fellow of the Certified Institute of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Education, Fellow of Global Academy
of Technology Entrepreneurship (GLOBATECH), Fellow/Council Member, Confederation for Women
Entrepreneurship (CFWEN) and Fellow Society of Essential Oils Distillers and Analysts.
