TEMITOPE ADETUNJI recently heard from Dr. Adetoun Akintoye, the University of Lagos’ Overall Best Graduating PhD Student in Industrial Chemistry, about the difficulties and sacrifices she had to make in order to achieve academic success.
Known by many as Heiress or Mademoiselle, Dr. Akintoye is a multi-passionate person whose journey has been influenced by her diverse interests. In addition to leading businesses like Heiress Creatives and Heiress Foods, the latter of which aims to innovate cassava-based goods through the “Cassinnovation” project, she is the founder of the Mademoiselle Foundation, a platform dedicated to empowering young girls to become leaders.
She is a successful author with works in The Journal of a Young School Girl, How Students Can Fly in Colours, and The Poetic Psalms, in addition to her business endeavours. She also started Heiress Nation, a religious movement that uses storytelling and poetry to make the gospel easier to understand.
Dr. Akintoye’s interest in turning locally sourced raw materials into products with added value led her to seek a career in industrial chemistry. She started her route to a PhD after being hired as a Graduate Assistant after graduating as one of the best students in her class.
She concentrated her research on cassava deterioration with the goal of creating electrochemical sensors and biomaterials to reduce spoiling, encouraged by her first supervisor, Professor Wesley Okiei. Beyond scholastic success, she aimed to find workable ways to improve food security and aid regional farmers. Her second supervisor, Dr. Isaac Adebayo Akinbulu, was also instrumental in directing her work.
In the 2023–2024 academic year, Dr. Akintoye finished her doctoral studies at the University of Lagos, formally receiving her degree in January 2025. She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the university, and a number of mentors and experiences shaped her academic trajectory. Her perception of academics as a distinguished endeavour was greatly influenced by Professor Folasade Ogunsola, who was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the time, during a university function.
Her academic achievement was aided by the support of prominent individuals like former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola and the direction of eminent academics. Another important factor was the supportive atmosphere offered by the School of Postgraduate Studies, which was led by Dr. Adegboyega B. Ehinmowo and Professor Abraham A. Osinubi.
Dr. Akintoye’s dissertation research focused on prolonging cassava’s shelf life by identifying and removing factors responsible for its deterioration. This initiative intended to reduce food waste and enhance economic consequences for farmers.
Over the course of her roughly four-year PhD journey, she encountered several challenges, such as limited money, unsuccessful experiments, and juggling other obligations. But she continued to move forward because of her passion, faith, and perseverance. At the 2025 convocation ceremonies, her efforts were recognised as the recipient of the Best Overall PhD Thesis Award.
Dr. Akintoye, like many doctorate candidates, had moments of self-doubt and contemplated leaving. But she was kept going by her dedication to food security and her ambition to conduct studies that had an international impact. She overcome problems by reducing work into small chunks and focusing on tangible results.
A diligent planner, Dr. Akintoye precisely arranged her days and exploited collaboration with others. Attending conferences and seeking extra training, such as the cassava processing course at IITA, extended her viewpoint and spurred new research results.
Developing non-enzymatic sensors for spoiling detection during her bench work in Brazil, creating effective shelf-life extension formulations, and winning the Best Paper Award at the ARUA-COE for USD Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, were all pivotal moments in her research.
Significant sacrifices were made by Dr. Akintoye, including avoiding social media, putting herself away from temptations, and spending a lot of time in the university library conducting research. She received scholarships, but she also paid for some of her studies herself.
Throughout the process, she received crucial encouragement from her family, especially from her parents, Prince Adesegun Akitoye and Olori Gbemisola Akitoye, as well as from her spiritual community, friends, and mentors. Her boyfriend was essential, providing both practical help and emotional support.
Dr. Akintoye found comfort in writing, prayer, and mentoring young girls during her doctoral studies. She was able to control her stress and maintain her connection to her larger mission outside of school thanks to these outlets.
Dr. Akintoye was ecstatic to hear that she had been selected the top graduating PhD student.
Even though she had deliberately strived for excellence, the recognition felt unreal because it was the result of years of hard work, backed by her boyfriend and mentors who never stopped encouraging her aspirations.
According to Dr. Akintoye, exceptional PhD students are distinguished not just by their intelligence but also by their enthusiasm, tenacity, curiosity, and dedication to making a significant contribution to society. Characteristics like self-control, teamwork, lifelong learning, and spiritual rootedness are equally important.
Dr. Akintoye’s study aims to increase food security worldwide and make cassava a lucrative crop that boosts Nigeria’s GDP. With continued dedication to research, mentoring, entrepreneurship, and faith-driven writing, her professional vision combines academics, industry, and social impact.
While juggling her personal life and ongoing professional development, she is open to postdoctoral opportunities, especially at Ivy League universities.
Dr. Akintoye advises aspiring PhD candidates to focus on their passions and approach their work with tenacity. She suggests being disciplined, seeking mentorship, breaking down big goals into manageable steps, and seeing setbacks as chances for improvement.
Dr. Akintoye hopes to demystify chemistry for the next generation and show how it can be used to solve practical issues. Her ultimate goal is to be known as a scientist who advanced sustainable agriculture, food security, and scientific innovation in Africa and beyond by bridging research with real-world solutions.
CREDIT: ALLSCHOOL, Allschoolabs
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