Isaac I. Akinwumi

Isaac I. Akinwumi
Associate Professor in Civil Engineering | Innovation and Sustainable Development Advocate | Researcher | Higher Education Partnership Builder | Academic Leader | Consultant
Covenant University

Dr Isaac Akinwumi is an educator, researcher, administrator, consultant and innovation coach. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Covenant University, Ota. He was the Director of the International Office and Linkages at Covenant University (February 2022 to August 2025), where he worked with the leadership of Covenant University to manage Covenant University's relationships and championed its internationalisation drive, coordinated its International Visiting Scholars (IVS) programme, partnerships, staff and student mobilities, international students and faculty, and international education and career fairs.

Isaac has over 16 years of research and teaching experience at Covenant University. He is an author or co-author of over 80 peer-reviewed scientific publications, a grant reviewer for some international funding agencies and a reviewer for some reputable international journals. He has supervised and is supervising postgraduate students and served as PhD External Examiner to universities in the UK and India. He is a Commonwealth Scholarship Programme Alumnus, receiving the Commonwealth Split-site PhD Scholarship Award in 2015, which ensured he spent a year as a Visiting Postgraduate Researcher at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. His research focuses on protecting the environment (its vital resources such as water) and public health. He has carried out research in geotechnical engineering, waste management, water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH), sustainable construction materials, air pollution, and climate change, among others. His collaborative research attracted research and seed grants from the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK, Innovate UK and the British Council. Before joining Covenant University, he was a Structural Engineering Consultant (engaging in structural engineering designs and supervising construction contractors) and Project Planner and Scheduler.

Dr Akinwumi has served in various leadership positions. He served as the Director of the International Office and Linkages and Coordinator of Research (formerly Deputy Director of Research) at the Covenant University Centre for Research, Innovation and Discovery (CUCRID), Covenant University. He had also served as the Postgraduate Coordinator of the College of Engineering and Postgraduate Coordinator and Examination Officer of the Department of Civil Engineering at Covenant University. He was the Financial Secretary of the prestigious Nigerian Young Academy (2019-2021).

He is proficient in Human-Centered Design and Sustainable Development concepts. He was one of the Facilitators and Judges at the 2022 UNLEASH Innovation Lab in Mysore, India, and the 2023 UNLEASH Innovation Lab in Kigali, Rwanda, an innovation lab that annually brings together 1000 talents from over 100 countries to find solutions to the pressing global challenges.

He is a speaker and conference organiser. Dr Akinwumi has been a keynote speaker and guest speaker at international conferences and seminars. He served as the Pioneer Technical Chair of the International Conference on Sustainable Infrastructural Development (ICSID 2019 and ICSID 2020). He also served as the Conference Chair of the 2022 Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institution of Geotechnical Engineers (NIGE). He was also the Chairman of the Technical Advancement Committee of the Nigerian Institution of Geotechnical Engineers (NIGE). He was the Chairman of the Travel and Logistics Committee of the 2023 QS Africa Forum hosted by Covenant University. He has organised and facilitated grant-writing workshops.

Isaac has excellent academic and professional qualifications. He received his PhD and Master of Engineering degrees in Civil Engineering from Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria and his Bachelor of Engineering degree (First Class) in Civil Engineering from the Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria. He is a Registered Engineer with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), a Corporate Member of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), a Member of the Nigerian Institution of Geotechnical Engineers (NIGE), International Association for Engineers (IAENG), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), a Fellow of the Nigerian Young Academy (NYA), and an Affiliate of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS).

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