Post-doc Researcher in Focus
Dr. Akinbowale Akintayo
Akinbowale’s interest in archaeology was instigated by his quest to know about the origin of humans – an interest that rivalled another deep interest of his: Mathematics. Akinbowale received a BSc in Archaeology/Geography (Combined Honours) from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria in 2010 and completed an MSc in Environmental Archaeology in 2014 from the same institution. He also studied for an MSc in Environmental Management at Pan African University, Institute of Life and Earth Sciences, Nigeria in 2015. He then proceeded for his PhD at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona Spain and Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Italy, which he completed in 2019. His PhD research was on landscape analyses and mobility dynamics for raw materials procurement in Calerizo de Cáceres, Spain using Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing techniques to understand human occupation of this part of southwestern Iberian Peninsula during Middle Pleistocene, with respect to mobility and raw materials acquisition strategies.
Akinbowale joined the Department of Archaeology in 2021 as a Postdoctoral Research Associate on the ‘MAEASaM: Mapping Africa’s Endangered Archaeological Sites and Monuments’ project led by Dr. Stephanie Wynne-Jones. The project, which is generously supported by Arcadia – a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin - aims to identify archaeological sites and monuments in sub-Saharan Africa using remote sensing, desk-based research, and archaeological surveys to create digital records of these sites and monuments.
Akinbowale will be working on sites in Tanzania as part of the network.
My goal is to synthesise my knowledge of GIS with management of environmental problems and the mapping of historic and heritage sites in Nigeria, Africa and the world at large. I’m driven by the imperative to preserve these historic and heritage sites left behind by ancient groups who inhabited this space before us, for sustainability. The MAEASaM project gives me the opportunity to engage in these activities and learn as much as I can from colleagues who share similar passions.
Akinbowale has mapped and documented heritage sites such as Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove (World Heritage Site), Ifa Temple and Obatala Shrine, among others, to teach high school students about the need to be familiar with these sites and to keep them informed of the cultural traditions of the Yorubas who inhabit the southwestern part of Nigeria.
When he is not performing GIS and remote sensing analyses, Akinbowale can be found listening to music, watching movies, and playing football.