Olaniyi Fawole

Prof. Fawole earned his PhD in Horticultural Sciences with a specialisation in Postharvest Technology, Agroprocessing, and Circular Food Bioeconomy from Stellenbosch University. He has since committed his career to the preservation and value addition of nutritious food crops, focusing on improving health outcomes and supporting stakeholders in the food systems to reduce losses and waste.

Prof. Fawole is the Founding Director of the Postharvest and Agroprocessing Research Centre (PARC) and the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Chair in Sustainable Preservation & Agroprocessing Research (SPAR) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). Since joining UJ in October 2019, he has secured over 30 million rands in funding from various funding channels, including a recent international grant of £224K through the African Agriculture Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (AAKTP), United Kingdom.

With over 230 indexed publications, Prof. Fawole has achieved an H-index of 49 on Google Scholar (with over 8000 citations) and 43 on Scopus (with over 6000 citations). He has successfully supervised 45 postgraduate students to graduation, including eight recent MSc graduates who earned their degrees with distinction. His outstanding contributions to the field have earned him a prestigious B2 rating from the National Research Foundation of South Africa, acknowledging him as an internationally recognised researcher.

Prof. Fawole is well recognised in his field, collaborating with esteemed organisations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the African Union Commission (AUC), and the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). He serves on several boards, including the Technical Board of the Food Loss and Waste Initiative of the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa. He is the co-chair of the 5th All-African Postharvest Congress and Exhibition hosted by the AUC, the Chair of the ISHS Working Group on Pomegranate and Minor Mediterranean Fruits, and he will be convening the ISHS IV International Symposium on Beverage Crops in South Africa in 2026. Prof. Fawole also holds academic affiliations as a Full Professor (Extraordinaire) at Stellenbosch University and a Visiting Professor at the University of Bari, Italy. He is a 2024/2025 NSTF-South32 Awards finalist in the NSTFResearcher and Agricultural Research Council categories, recognized for pioneering sustainable postharvest solutions, reducing food losses, and influencing both industry and policy.

Additionally, Prof. Fawole maintains a robust digital presence with over 28,000 followers on LinkedIn, making him one of the top academic influencers in South Africa. He actively advocates capacity building in postharvest science and agroprocessing, significantly amplifying his research and mentorship impact.