A Nigerian researcher, Dr. Ernest Udalla, is set to join St Antony’s College, Oxford, England, in 2024.
 
Udalla will join the college under the new Ladipo Adamolekun Postdoctoral Fellowship, which supports research on Nigerian public administration.
 
According to the college, the fellowship is open to those who have their doctorate degree at a Nigerian university, to prepare publications based on their dissertation, and focusing on the study of public administration in the country.
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The fellowship was established by Professor Adamolekun, a public administration scholar, who was former Dean, Faculty of Administration, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, and a former lead public sector management specialist at the World Bank.
 
Udalla, who is the first Ladipo Adamolekun Postdoctoral Fellow, will take up his fellowship in January 2024. 
  
He was appointed from among 40 eligible applicants by a committee chaired by three St Antony’s Fellows, who worked on Africa and social policy, Professors Miles Larmer, David Pratten and Thomas Hale. 
 
Udalla holds a PhD in Political Science, with specialisation in Public Administration from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is currently a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Madonna University, Okija, Anambra State, and a Junior Research Fellow at the Institute for French Research in Africa (IFRA), University of Ibadan. He has published in both local and international journals and has many book chapters to his credit. His research interest areas include public administration and public policy.
  
Speaking on the fellowship, Acting Warden, St Antony’s, Prof Nandini Gooptu, said: “We are proud to announce the appointment of the inaugural Ladipo Adamolekun Postdoctoral Fellowship. This new fellowship will add great value to the global and diverse academic community here at St Antony’s.” 
 
The award will enable the appointed fellow to discuss his research, interact with the college’s regional study centres, exchange ideas, and take part in and contribute to the academic and social community of the college. 
 
The fellowship covers international travel, accommodation and living costs, and provides full access to the university and the college’s libraries and other research facilities. 
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