Microbiologist Olubukola O. Babalola, a TWAS Fellow since 2021 who serves on the TWAS Council as vice-president for Africa, has been elected to the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM). She is one of the 63 new fellows of the 2026 Class, chosen from 145 nominations.

AAM Fellows are selected each year through a highly selective peer‑review process that acknowledges outstanding scientific achievements and original contributions in microbiology.

Babalola is a professor at North-West University (NWU), South Africa, where she established the Microbial Biotechnology Research Laboratory from scratch and has been head of the Microbiology Department and the research director for Food Security and Safety. She is South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF) internationally acclaimed researcher.

She served as the vice-president of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World for Africa (2016–2025), is an honorary visiting professor at Imperial College London, and an AAAS-TWAS science diplomacy alumna, committed to leaving her footprint in policymaking, diplomacy, and diplomatic engagement.

She has always advocated using biofertilizers over chemical fertilizers for plant health management. Her contributions to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 2—zero hunger—focus on food security and sustainable agriculture in Africa, and help farmers, women, and all people threatened by hunger and famine.

She has 21 years of experience in rhizosphere research and in training students. Under her guidance, 37 students earned a PhD and 27 earned a Master of Science. She has authored more than 450 publications and has recently authored the book Food Security and Safety: Africa’s Perspective (Springer).

Cristina Serra