Prof. Austine I. Obiekezie

MBBS (Sydney), FRACS (Paediatric Surgery)

Austin Ikechukwu Obiekezie is a Professor of Aquatic Pathobiology specializing in tropical aquaculture pathology. Prof. Obiekezie is a staff of the Institute of Oceanography and has held several distinguished service positions in the University of Calabar Including Head of Department for Biological Oceanography; Fisheries and Aquaculture; Director, Institute of Oceanography (2007-2011); Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) (2011-2015) and currently serving as the Director, Research and Quality Assurance. He obtained his Bachelor of Science, B.Sc. (Hons) in Zoology from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1978 and a Ph.D. in Aquatic Pathobiology from the University of Calabar in 1983. In addition, Prof. Obiekezie concluded Post-Doctoral research in the Institut fur Meereskunde, Kiel and the Ruhr Universität, Bochum all in the Federal Republic of Germany.

Prof. Obiekezie is three-time winner of the International Foundation for Science (IFS) Research grant totaling over US$ 30,000 for research in tropical aquaculture diseases. He participated in the planning and execution of the project on Aquaculture Development in the Oil Palm Belt of Nigeria funded by the European Community to the tune of US$100 million in 1985.  He was a winner of the 2001 IFS/DANIDA Award for Excellence in Research in Tropical Aquatic Living Resources and is a Scientific Adviser to the International Foundation for Science (IFS). He has supervised over 30 PGD, M.Sc. and Ph.D. candidates and is external examiner and assessor for several Universities including University of Nigeria, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Federal University of Technology, Akure among others. His major research focus is on the pathology of aquatic organisms and related environmental influences.  With extensive experience in environmental assessment and management in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, he has authored over 100 Environmental Evaluation (EA) documents for the oil and related industries. In this respect, he served as Environmental Adviser/Consultant (Major Projects) to the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in which capacity he developed a framework for the conduct of Cumulative Environment Impact Assessment (CEIA) in Nigeria. He edited the Biodiversity Sector Report for the NDDC Niger Delta Development Master Plan.

Prof. Obiekezie is a member of the Nigerian Environmental Society (NES), Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON) and the European Association of Fish Pathologists (EAFP).  He is a convener of the West African Fish Pathology Network (WAFPN), an initiative that is currently on-going. Prof. Obiekezie is widely published in national and international journal and other media on issues dealing with aquaculture pathology and the environment.