Barnabas Achakpa Ikyo is a professor of Physics and the Director of the Centre for Food Technology and Research (CEFTER), Benue State University Makurdi, Nigeria. In 2014, he was appointed Project Manager of the Africa Centre of Excellence project won and hosted at CEFTER. He is a Visiting Fellow at the University Greenwich UK. Prof. Barnabas Ikyo was awarded a PhD in Physics from the Advanced Technology Institute, University of Surrey Guildford, UK in 2011. After his PhD, he proceeded on a Post-Doctoral at the same University from April, 2012 to December 2013. He also holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Physics and Bachelor’s degree in Physics in 2006 and 2001 respectively. His research interest is in Photonics for electrical power generation (Solar energy), Environmental and Health Physics, characterization and optimization of Photonics based devices with applications in Quantum electronics, Energy and Environmental sensing. Prof. B. Ikyo has 23 years’ teaching experience at College and University level. He is currently carrying out efficiency mapping for photovoltaic (solar panel) installation in North Central Nigeria. He is a crusader of efficient electric power usage and his documentaries on efficient use of energy to curb waste of electrical energy have gone on Channels, NTA and YouTube. Prof Barnabas Ikyo is a researcher of international repute; His notable and most recent projects include £1Million Technology Strategy Board UK project to develop a solid state energy efficient test kit for Ecoli in water at the Advanced Technology Institute Guildford. He has managed World Bank grants in excess of $12Million at the Benue State University. He is a technical consultant to the Inter-University Council of East Africa on Centres’ of Excellence project in Africa. His collaborations include optimization of energy devices for the Naval Research Lab Washington DC USA, the Walter Shoctky Institute, Munich Germany, Morroco Green Energy Park and several other institutions in 13 countries. Prof. Barnabas Ikyo has over 49 publications including in Nature Scientific Reports. He has done courses in renewable energy generation, solar power installation and management, smart grids and intelligent devices. He is a member of the Nigerian Solar Energy Society and Nigerian Institute of Physics.

I am a professor of polymer and biofuels (physical organic Chemistry) and currently the Deputy Centre Leader/Deputy Director, Operation, Centre for Food Technology and Research (CEFTER), Benue State University, Makurdi. My research focuses on polymers and renewable energy (biofuels) and their impact on the ecosystem, oils, and food science. I obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in Pure and Industrial Chemistry from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State, Master of Science in Polymer material and Engineering from the University of Manchester Institute of Material Science (UMIST), United Kingdom and Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry from Benue State University (BSU). My current research project work is on the use of food waste to generate energy titled ‘Biomethane energy from abundant agricultural waste for off-grid food processing technologies in Wurukum and Onyagede community – A pilot project’. In 2014, I was part of the team that proposed and won a World Bank grant under the African Centre of Excellence (ACE-I) and started the Centre for Food Technology and Research. I was Head of Department of Chemistry from 2015 to 2019 and initiated and mounted new courses run by the department for CEFTER. The department achieved both National and International accreditation across various programme, timely graduated students at all levels, formed new collaborations and networks, enhanced staff training and promoted research by achieving TETFund grants. At the same period, I doubled as the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of CEFTER from 2015 to 2019. The ACE-I project focused on developing a critical mass of well-trained Africans at masters and doctorate level to have the capacity to address post-harvest losses which is a developmental challenge in Benue State, Nigeria, and the Region. At the round up of ACE-I project in 2019, CEFTER team won another World Bank grant; ACE-Impact which took off in July 2019, I was then appointed as the Deputy Centre leader/ Deputy Director, Operations in the Centre. My job description includes co-management of over 81 academics in their teaching and research activities, general administration, coordinating the Centre’s research commercialization activities, planning, and coordinating the annual works, coordinating the procurement activities, overseeing the monitoring and evaluation activities in the Centre. I have attended so many capacity building workshops, trainings and professional certification courses; worth mentioning is the Project management certification course, ICDL certified in cyber security, ICT in Education, and online collaboration. I have supervised students’ research at both undergraduate and post graduate levels and mentored both students and younger colleagues. I have been an external examiner at undergraduate, postgraduate (MSc and PhD) to the Federal University of Lafia (FULafia), Nasarawa State, University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa and Durban University of Technology, South Africa.

Dr. Sylvester Obaike Adejo, an Associate Professor of Physical and Food Chemistry, is of the Department of Chemistry, Benue State University, Makurdi. His areas of research are corrosion inhibition using eco-friendly materials, adsorption modelling and food formulation and micronutrients. A widely travelled person, Dr. Adejo has attended and presented research papers in a number of international conferences/seminars/workshops and received trainings around the globe. His research work culminated into the proposal of a new two-parameter adsorption isotherm model known as Adejo-Ekwenchi Adsorption Isotherm Model. For his research out, Dr. Adejo was list by Google as one of the top-ranking scientists in Nigerian in 2015/2016 (www.worldscientistsranking/nigeria). He has developed, along with his research group, a new method of corrosion monitoring. Dr. Adejo has supervised and graduated quite a number of Master’s and PhD students. He has served as departmental examination officer, postgraduate seminar coordinator and postgraduate coordinator in the Department of chemistry. Dr. Adejo, currently, is a Deputy Director in-charge of research and collaboration, Africa Centre of Excellence for Food Technology and Research, Benue State University, Makurdi

Dr. Mrs Scholastica Ngunengen Banka holds a Ph.D in Educational Management. She has a number of publications in local and international journals. She is a member of the university governing council representing the Benue State university congregation. She is the Centre secretary, she assists the centre leader on the day to day running of the centre. Among others, she is a FIMC, CMC, NIM, ANOPA.