Postdoctoral Research Fellows (PDRFs)

Dr Chinegbonkpa Hope Nwakanma

Dr Chinegbonkpa Hope Nwakanma studies under the mentorship of Prof. Mondli Hlatshwayo. She holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Sociology from the internationally renowned University of Ibadan, Nigeria. She serves on the International Journal of Home Economics, Hospitality and Allied Research editorial board and as a reviewer for several international journals. Dr Nwakanma has over eight years of teaching and research experience at the university level, and has held some relevant academic positions at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria, including College Representative, Course Coordinator, Course Adviser, and Level Examination Officer and has served in different committees in different capacities in higher education in accreditation and curriculum development. With her experience as an online tutor and trainer for the Global Labour University, she has formed and trained course circle groups comprising people from academia, medical and health practitioners, environmentalists and union leaders on issues of labour and environment and has led sensitisation programs on Effective Waste Management in Nigeria in collaboration with Global Labour University and Abia State Environmental Protection Agency. She has convened and facilitated several workshops, including “Just Transition in Nigeria: The Role of Labour” in 2021; “Environmental and Labour Activism Towards a Just Transition in Nigeria in 2022; and “Labour Activism Towards Achieving Equity and Inclusion in Nigerian Public and Private workplaces” in 2023.  

Dr Hope’s course circle group has metamorphosed into an Advocacy group, Vanguard for Labour and Environmental Sustainability (VALES), to advance the course of protecting labour as well as the environment.  

She is a member of professional bodies and research groups such as the Nigeria Anthropological and Sociological Practitioners Association (NASA), Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM), Forum for African Women Educationist Nigeria (FAWE Nigeria) and Global Team of Online Tutors and Trainers (GTTT).   

Her research interests cover human resource management, employment relations, industrial sociology, and gender studies, on which she has authored and co-authored many peer-reviewed scholarly papers in reputable journals internationally and locally, as well as book chapters.  

Dr. Opesemowo Titilope Rachael 

Opesemowo obtained her Ph.D in Tests and Measurement from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. Her research interest is in Educational Assessment and Practices and Indigenous Education. She is a member of related academic and professional societies which includes the Association of Educational Researchers and Evaluators of Nigeria; Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria; Association of Behavioural Research Analysts and the Psychometrician and American Psychological Association. She is pursuing her post-doctoral research in indigenous education with Professor June Bam-Hutchison. 

Dr Matthew Ayegboyin

Dr Ayegboyin earned his PhD in Sociology from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He is a recipient of the CMED 2016 Grant Award in recognition of his outstanding doctoral research work in Nigeria by the LAPO Institute. He has been an awardee of The Editors of Scientific African under the Elsevier Reviewer Editors for Reviewing manuscripts for the Journal since April 2021. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/scientific-african

Ayegboyin specialises in medical sociology, ethnography, gerontology, and social research methods. He is an alumnus of a professional Program on Negotiation (PON) at Harvard Law School, Harvard University. Ayegboyin’s current research explores indigenous medicinal and food heritage among the elderly in Nigeria and South Africa. He studies under the research supervision of Professor June Bam-Hutchison.  

Dr Aisha Lawal Bagiwa

Dr Aisha Lawal Bagiwa holds a PhD in Science Education from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria, where she explored the effectiveness of virtual laboratories and field trips in teaching science. Through her research and publications, Aisha contributes to the advancement of science education and the promotion of innovative teaching methods. Her current research focuses on the integration of indigenous knowledge systems in science education, aiming to promote a more inclusive and culturally responsive approach to science teaching and learning. Dr Bagiwa studies under the research supervision of Professor Morgan Ndlovu.

Dr Jacob Katamusiime

 2024 Winner of the Rahamon Bello Award for the Best PhD in African and Diaspora Studies

Post-doctoral fellow Jacob conducts research on the intersections of Culture and Politics in post-colonial Africa and implications for education policy and African Studies. He has previously facilitated graduate classes in ‘Theories of Culture and Society’ and undergraduate tutorials in ‘Classical and Modern Political Thought’ at Makerere University, Uganda. Jacob holds an Interdisciplinary PhD in Social Studies, a Master of Philosophy degree in Social Studies and a Bachelor of Arts with Education (First Class) from Makerere University. He was a 2023 Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Government at the University of Bergen, Norway. His research navigates questions of Colonialism, Postcolonialism and Decolonization, exploring issues of Identity, Citizenship, Social Movements, Political Violence and Diasporic Lives.

Dr Tracey Muradzikwa

Dr Tracey Muradzikwa completed her doctoral studies at the University of Witwatersrand working on the legitimacy of female traditional leaders in Nswazi, Zimbabwe. Her research interests are traditional leaders in Southern Africa, indigeneity, gender, governance and development, and gender and political institutions. She previously taught Feminist Theory and Politics at the University of Witwatersrand’s Department of Political Studies. Her research interests are traditional leaders and politics in Zimbabwe since 1980 and gender politics in the Global South parliaments. She has received international fellowships such as the Global Minds Fellowship, Ghent University, Belgium and Erasmus+ KA107 International Credit Mobility Programme Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain. Dr Muradzikwa studies under the research supervision of Prof Morgan Ndlovu.