Nigerian Man Becomes First Black VC Of University Of Illinois

Against all odds, and negative news associated with Nigeria on the international scene in recent time, some sons of the country still distinguish themselves, and make the country very proud. Such is the case of this Nigerian, Professor Ilesanmi Adesida who made history last month by becoming the first black Provost/Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at University of Illinois in Urbana, USA.


Born in Ondo State, Prof Adesida is a Nigerian engineer whose outstanding work in the field of Nanotechnology has received much acclaim in the scientific community.
He obtained his Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and subsequently went on to develop a body of work in the processing of semiconductors and other materials at the nanometer-scale level.
After his studies, he worked in various capacities at what is now known as the Cornell Nanofabrication Facility and the School of Electrical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. He was also the head of the Electrical Engineering Department at Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria.
Commenting on his recently appointed role, Prof Adesida said: “I’m honoured and humbled to be selected as provost of this great campus. This is something I take very seriously. I know how to work very hard and I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get the job done.”
Prof Adesida is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Vacuum Society, and the Optical Society of America. He is also the past-president of IEEE Electron Devices Society.