Engr. Dr. Odutola Toyin Olabisi is a Senior lecturer at the Department of Petroleum and Gas Engineering, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria in 2006. She obtained a Master’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from the African University of Science and Technology, Abuja, Nigeria, with a full scholarship from the World Bank Institute (WBI) and Nelson Mandela Institute (NMI) in 2010.
After completing a course on Hydrates in Flow Assurance at the Center for Hydrate Research (CHR) in Colorado School of Mines (CSM), the United States of America, in 2012, she designed and fabricated the first hydrate flow loop in Nigeria while working as a Research Assistant at the Institute of Petroleum Studies (IPS) in 2014. Her outstanding research on Hydrate Prediction and Management in Offshore Environment attracted sponsorship from TotalEnergies under their Education Partnership with the University of Port Harcourt. In 2017, Dr Odutola obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Port Harcourt with a full scholarship from the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).
Her invention, the hydrate flow loop, sparked off hydrate research in Nigeria. The loop has been used by students all over Nigeria and some neighbouring African nations in conducting over four doctoral, 20 masters and 60 undergraduate research on hydrate prediction and prevention. Dr Odutola has published a monograph on ‘Hydrate Prediction and Management in Offshore Environment and has two Patents on her flow assurance inventions. She has published in several reputable peer-review journals and has attended several local and international conferences, including the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) International Conference on Oilfield Chemistry held in The Woodlands, Texas; SPE Symposium: Artificial Intelligence – Towards a Resilient and Efficient Energy Industry, organised by SPE Middle East, Africa & South Asia, held in Saudi Arabia; SPE Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition (NAICE) held in Lagos Nigeria, MIT Energy Conference held in MIT USA; Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy held in MIT USA; and Seminar on Innovative Teaching held in Havard USA.
Dr Odutola has served in the PTDF Selection Committee (PSC) for the Local Scholarship Scheme (LSS). She was a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States of America, from February to July 2020 and obtained a Kaufman Teaching Certificate Programme (KTCP) from the same institution. She is a fellow of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Empowering the Teachers Programme (MIT-ETT), USA. She is a registered Engineer with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and a Registered Environmental Specialist with the National Registry of Environmental Professionals (NREP). She is a corporate member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), a corporate member of the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers (NSChE), a corporate member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), a corporate member of the Association of Professional Women Engineers in Nigeria (APWEN), a member of the Association of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Trained African University Lecturers (AMTAUL) and a member of the Organization for Women in Science in the Developing World (OWSD).
She enjoys volunteering with the Teenagers Outreach Ministries, and she hosts a monthly virtual mentorship programme on zoom for teenagers called ‘Teens Hangout’. She is happily married and blessed with children.
My BBC/Channels TV interview can be found here: https://youtu.be/