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Professor Umar Ibrahim Gaya

COORDINATING DIRECTOR, SCIENCE INFRASTRUCTURE

The Coordinating Director, Science Infrastructure of NASENI, Professor Umar Ibrahim Gaya, is a member of the family of his Royal Highness the Late Emir of Gaya, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdulkadir. He succeeded the current Emir of Gaya, Alh Dr. Aliyu Ibrahim Gaya as the Chiroman Gaya and member of the Gaya Emirate Council, Kano State. He is the principal officer in charge of the Science Directorate at NASENI. He attended Kofar Naisa Primary School (1977-1983), Government Secondary School Sabuwar Kofa (1983-1986), and completed his secondary school education at the prestigious Rumfa College, Kano (1989). In 1992, he attended the IJMB programme at the College of Arts and Science, Kano. He was among the four best graduating B.Sc. (Hons) Chemistry students at the University of Maiduguri (1996). He had his Industrial Training, National Youth Corps Service, and a casual job at the Petrochemical/Refinery Laboratory of the Kaduna Refinery and Petroleum Company (KRPC), Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC). He was the Quality Controller of Camom Engineering and Services Company (CAMESCO) which on behalf of TOTAL, rehabilitated the KRPC Lubes Plant (1998-1999). He supervised the works of CAMESCO staff, and those tasks sublet to BOSCH, Lee Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. and DeLattre Bezons Nigeria Limited which include dismantling, assembling, and replacement of plant units, retubing of heat exchangers and air fin coolers, lining of furnaces, removal of blockage, corrosion control, monitoring of bolt extension, note torque, and the repair of safety valves, manometers, boilers, pumps, column baffles and dewaxers.

In 2000, Bayero University appointed Professor Umar as Graduate Assistant. He was deployed as Technical Aid Corps in The Gambia (2002-2004), by the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Government of Nigeria. He then became a certified ICT proficient. In 2004, he received M.Sc. Analytical Chemistry from Bayero University, Kano. He was a recipient of the prestigious Mc Arthur Top-up Allowance and the Kano State Scholarship Board international award for Ph.D. study. Prior to his graduation with Ph.D. Catalysis at Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2009, he earned a Graduate Research Fellow position, taught undergraduates, and left a hitherto unbeaten publication record. His graduation week was met with an invitation to breakfast with the Malaysian Minister for Higher Education. During his postdoctoral research fellowship in the Department of Chemistry, Universiti Putra Malaysia (2011), he fabricated laboratory reactors and published papers. Later on, he joined the Department of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University again as a postdoctoral fellow (2011-2012).

Professor Umar (ORCID: 0000-0002-2396-3761) has led several developments in nanoscience including the development of novel methods for the synthesis of low-dimensional (1D, 2D) porous nanostructured materials of various technological interests. He has published many articles in top-tier high-impact journals of Science and Technology and had written his name in the Top 25 Sciencedirect league table. He has watched the presentation of photoelectrochemical fuel cell by Professor Akira Fujishima, the father of semiconductor photocatalysis himself, and had had correspondences with eminent scientists across the world on scientific matters such as Professor Michael Grätzel, the father of the famous Grätzel dye-sensitised solar cell. He has published on dye-sensitised hybrid nanomaterial, among other active nanomaterials. His latest review paper concluded at NASENI, which emphasised on enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in August, 2021 in a nearly 80-yr old high impact journal, the Periodica Polytechnica Chemical Engineering, coincided with national interest encouraged in the same month by Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) inauguration of awards. He has been the most cited author from NASENI/Bayero University as evidenced by Scopus and Journal Citation Report (JCR) (Scopus ID: 24171183100 WoS Researcher’s ID: N-9660-2015), Researchgate, and Google Scholar. He has published a book, rated in 2015 among the top 50 % most downloaded from the relevant eBook collections of the world’s most famous publisher, the Springer Nature, with 750,000 page views per month based on the Bookmetrix report in 2015 Springer Book Performance. In NASENI, his current interests are to revamp the Science Directorate. His projects focus on novel in nanomaterial-based water purification technologies, spill up cleaning and energy applications. He has chaired scientific committees of NASENI for the development, interpretation of concept notes, and implementation of agreements in agriculture, defence, and software applications.

Professor Umar has the experience of teaching a very high number of courses at pre-degree, diploma, B.Sc., PGD, M.Sc. and Ph.D. levels. He has supervised the projects of at undergraduate, diploma, postgraduate diploma, M. Sc. and Ph.D., and has internally and externally examined undergraduate, M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees at different universities. He has fostered the mindset and motivation of researchers toward the best scientific judgments, and his research group has produced many university lecturers and technologists. He has presented many papers at prestigious conferences locally, and in the UK, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, and Hong Kong. He had physically attended in Singapore, a short course on “C-C coupling…” by the 2010 Chemistry Nobel laureate, keynote lectures of many other Nobel laureates, and webinars. He has completed many online courses of the famous US Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program which include financial and institutional conflict of interest, and institutional and investigators’ responsibilities. He was trained in management by the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered), and also in peace education by the UN-recognised Universal Peace Federation. He was among the selected presenters of the 2017 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemists (IUPAC) World Congress, at the Golden Hall of the World Trade Centre, Sao Paulo, where Nobel Laureates in Chemistry presented their works. He was among the Nigeria Representatives and a facilitator at the Youth Forum of the 17th Commonwealth Conference of Education Ministers (17CCEM) at Kuala Lumpur, which 50 Ministers and 3 Prime Ministers attended, where he had round the table discussion with the then Ministers of Education of Namibia & that of Trinidad and Tobago, and presented a pre-conference talk on “Respect and Understanding”. He has co-organised training, conferences, and seminars with the Centre of Excellence for Dryland Agriculture, College of Natural and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Directorate of Research Innovation and Partnership. In 2022, he was chosen from NASENI to be a program committee member of the International Young Researcher’s Conference “Materials Challenges” along with other members from Canada, India, Russia, Sweden, and Taiwan, in a partnership with two high impact Springer materials journals.

Professor Umar was part of workers under the Malaysia Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), Malaysia University Grant Scheme, and The Sultan Qaboos University Research Council (TRC) grant. He has presented invited papers at seminars organised by different universities and has attended > 50 international scientific hands-on workshops, webinars and seminars. In 2017, he was invited as one of the 2 national, out of 6 Speakers of the joint 3rd Biennial Conference of the Transplant Association of Nigeria & 1st International Conference of the College of Health Sciences Bayero University, Kano. In November 4, 2021, Umar Gaya’s Professorial Inaugural Lecture (the 50th in the Bayero University series) titled “In Search of Catalysts…” was tagged as “Golden” by Vice-Chancellor, publicly stating many reasons. It was attended by all principal officers of the University, many traditional rulers, an Emir, high profile academics from other universities locally, and internationally via zoom. The impact and rigour of this lecture will perhaps never cease to generate record public commendations from people of different caliber! He was the Guest Speaker of the Annual 2022 International Science Conference organised by Bayero University, themed “Trends in Basic and Applied Sciences”.

Professor Umar has an indelible record of exemplary moral, academic, and social life. He was elected severally into various committees and boards. He was the Secretary of the Interim Executive Committee, Kano-Jigawa (KANJIGA) Association, University of Maiduguri (1993-1994). He received award and a certificate for being the Financial Secretary of the Universiti Putra Malaysia International Students Association (UPMISA), and the International Students’ Representative in the Chemistry Club of the University, respectively. He was the Vice President of, Corpers’ Forum at the KRPC/NNPC (1997-1998). He was a PRO of Rumfa Old Boys Association (RUMFOBA) Class ’89. In January 2010, the association awarded him “Academic Dr with an enormous academic and humanitarian contribution to the society”. In November 2010, he was among the 3 Nigerians who received awards from the Nigerian Students’ Community in Malaysia (NISCOM), at the commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Nigeria. He was a member of Nigerians in Diaspora Malaysia (NIDOMY). In 2002 he was the co-pioneer/Secretary of the “City Educational Trust”, a community-based organisation in Gwale LGA whose “Rehabilitation of secondary school drop-outs” project won Mc Arthur’s Best in Financial Record. He was a Local Government Collation Officer severally in different national elections.

Professor Umar is awaiting a fellowship from the Chemical Society of Nigeria (CSN) and the Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria (ICCON) following nominations in 2021 and 2022, respectively. He is a member of the Chemistry stakeholders’ forum, the American Chemical Society-Catalysis Division (ACS-CATL.), and the Asia-Pacific Chemical, Biological & Environmental Engineering Society (APCBEES). He is an honorary member of the Nigeria Biomedical and Life Scientists Forum and among the 23 Nigerian scholars of the group from different bases globally, that advised a former Minister of Education on how Nigerian Universities can emerge among the top 400 in 10 years. He is an associate editor of ChemSearch, a member of African Journals Online (AJOL), and a reviewer of many Scopus-indexed journals of Science and Chemical Engineering published by Elsevier and its equivalents. In February 2014, he was mentioned at the floor 313th Senate of the Bayero University for reputable publications. In 2015 and 2016, he appeared among the top 7 scientists in Bayero University in the Webometric ranking of scientists sponsored by ACUMEN, European Commission and Spanish Research Council for which he received a commendation letter of Bayero University. He was the Chairman of Bayero University Standing Committee for Research whose membership included a Provost, Deans and Directors, which vetted hundreds of degrees (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) and non-degree oriented research proposals (such as Tetfund Institution-Based Research). He had led the screening of 52 Tetfund National Research Fund (NRF) and participated in the screening of > 60 proposals from the World Bank acclaimed Centre for Dryland Agriculture of Bayero University. He was selected to be a member of the principal officers’ “Advisory Committee on Sponsorship and Utilisation of TETFUND and other Grants” of Bayero University. In 2017, he led the University delegation for an audience with the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), which resulted in the training on patenting, industry linkage, transfer technology, IP training, commercialization and development of results and the commissioning of multimillion Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Office (IPTTO) office in July 2019. He was the resource person for the Petroleum Technology Development Fund/National Educational Research and Development Council (PTDF/NERDC) STEM Teacher Training Programme, 2017 Finlab Laboratory Equipment Training, 2006 NTI Millennium Development Goal Project, and 2018 BUK Centre for Dryland Agriculture Retreat.

As the Chairman of Bayero University Journals Coordinating Committee, a committee comprising Deans, Directors, Editors-in-Chief/Chairmen, he provided guidance for 22 active journals of different endeavors and drafted the first Bayero University Journal Publishing Policy. He was a member of more than 60 departmental, community, faculty, or university committees/boards including many strategic committees/boards of Bayero University such as the Senate, Appointment and Promotion, Sponsorship, convocation, inaugural lecture committee, School of Postgraduate Studies (SPS), Bayero University Press and a member of the Board of Trustees of the ASUU-BUK Cooperative. While he was the Deputy Director I/Acting Director at the Directorate of Research, Innovation, and Partnership (DRIP), he was a key worker in the fledging of the new Directorate, inter alia development of research structure, intellectual property policy, research policy, methods of assessment of disclosure of inventions/innovation/software and research proposals. He was the Departmental PG Coordinator, Head of Physical Chemistry unit, Faculty Examination Officer and SIWES Coordinator. He is still the coordinator of the Federal Government Special Works (FG SPW) of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment at Gaya. He can communicate well in English, French, Arabic, Hausa, Malay, and fairly well in Fulfulde. He is friendly, fair, and broad-minded, but result-oriented.

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