As the world faces rising temperatures and unpredictable weather, scientists like Oluwanisola Ibikunle are stepping forward with bold solutions.

Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Dr. Ibikunle has gone from building computers as a teenager to becoming a rising voice in the application of AI for climate science today. As a Ph.D. researcher at the University of Kansas, his work focuses on combining artificial intelligence, specifically deep learning algorithms, with airborne radar data to better understand and monitor climate change. This powerful combination is already making an impact both in research labs and in real-world climate monitoring systems.

“I’ve always believed technology should solve real problems,” Oluwanisola said. “Growing up in Lagos, you couldn’t ignore how the environment was changing. That’s what pushed me to look deeper.”

Before moving to the United States to pursue his Ph.D., Oluwanisola worked on several energy and electrification projects that involved geographical surveyors, electricians and engineers. During these projects, he was introduced to the use of technology to mitigate energy wastage and got a firsthand appreciation of the effect of such wastage on the climate. As a result, he teamed up with groups of data scientists, software engineers and other IT professionals to build custom and scalable solutions.

These early efforts shaped Oluwanisola’s vision to use data and AI to help communities and countries like Nigeria prepare for the future.

After relocating to the U.S, he joined one of the leading national climate research centers where his work and research drew much attention. At the University of Kansas, he developed new methods that help scientists better interpret subsurface radar signals to track and monitor the effect of global warming on polar ice sheets. His work allows experts to reconstruct variations in snowfall, accumulation rates, and climate conditions over hundreds of years with more accuracy.

In December 2019,Oluwanisola’s project earned him recognition through the iHAWKe Fellowship, a U.S.-based award that celebrates scientists whose research is paving the way for the future of innovation. For Oluwanisola, it marked a turning point in his career.

“The award wasn’t just about what I had done in the U.S.,” he said. “It was also about the work I started back home. That journey from Nigeria to here (the U.S.) is part of the bigger picture.”

Today, Dr. Ibikunle’s insights are helping to influence corporate climate-related policies in the U.S. He is also developing a project that will make radar climate data more accessible to researchers in developing countries.

From the streets of Lagos to international research labs, Oluwanisola Ibikunle is making a difference with science, purpose, and persistence