Get Guardian on GoogleProfessor Agbaje Lateef, a renowned scholar in the Department of Pure and Applied Biology at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Nigeria, has been appointed Honorary Professor in the School of Agriculture and Science (SAS), University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
Lateef, who heads the LAUTECH Nanotechnology Research Group (NANO+), is a distinguished alumnus of the university, where he obtained all his academic degrees. He joined the institution as a Graduate Assistant in 1998 and rose to the rank of professor in 2013.
His appointment followed a nomination and extensive reviews of his research portfolio by the School of Agriculture and Science, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, Senate, and Governing Council of UKZN.
The honorary professorship recognises distinguished individuals for their academic excellence and contributions to research, teaching, postgraduate mentorship, and institutional development. UKZN is among South Africa’s leading research-intensive universities.
Lateef’s appointment reflects his contributions to industrial microbiology, biotechnology, and nanobiotechnology, as well as his longstanding research collaboration with UKZN scholars, which has produced more than 50 joint publications over the past decade. His collaborators include Professor Evariste Bosco Gueguim-Kana, Dr Lorika Selomi Beukes, and Ms Ntombozuko Matyumza.
Gueguim-Kana, a Cameroonian and also a LAUTECH alumnus, is a distinguished professor and academic leader for Research and Higher Degrees at UKZN’s School of Agriculture and Science. He is recognised for his work in applying computer-integrated systems to fermentation technology.
Both professors share an academic background, having obtained their bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees under Professor Julius Kọla Oloke at LAUTECH. They also contributed to the university’s recognition as the best state university in 2005 through research exhibitions on fructooligosaccharides and bioreactor design at the National Universities Commission’s research and development fair in Abuja.
Gueguim-Kana joined UKZN in 2012 after leaving LAUTECH as a Senior Lecturer and has since received the university’s Distinguished Teacher Award.
The appointment further strengthens Lateef’s growing international academic profile. In April 2026, he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, United Kingdom, and appointed to the Editorial Board of Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio) and as Associate Editor of Frontiers in Industrial Microbiology. He also serves on the Senior Editorial Board of Discover Biotechnology (Springer Nature). Additionally, he has been ranked among the world’s top two per cent of scientists for seven consecutive years (2020–2026).
Lateef said the appointment would enable him to undertake teaching, joint research, grant applications, and postgraduate co-supervision, with a focus on green nanobiotechnology and circular bioeconomy research. He expressed appreciation to Gueguim-Kana and UKZN’s academic leadership for supporting his nomination, pledging to use the opportunity to strengthen collaboration between UKZN and LAUTECH.
The Dean of LAUTECH’s Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, Professor Olugbenga Solomon Bello, and the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Razaq O. Rom Kalilu, congratulated Lateef, describing his achievement as another demonstration of his commitment to academic excellence and the international projection of the university.
