Dr. Chika Ogochukwu Yinka-Banjo, an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Sciences, University of Lagos (UNILAG), is a distinguished scholar, researcher and educator who has made a bold mark in her field. With a PhD in Computer Science (AI & Robotics) from the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa, she is an egg-head in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Entrepreneurship.

She has developed models with ML techniques, one of which was to guide robots in a pre-entry safety inspection in the underground mines. She has excelled in academia and made significant contributions to the advancement of robotics and artificial intelligence.

In her role at the University of Lagos, where she is the current Head of Department of Computer Sciences, Associate Professor Yinka-Banjo has exhibited exceptional leadership by establishing a ground-breaking Robotic Research group comprising undergraduate and postgraduate students.

The group achieved a remarkable milestone by participating in their first international robot soccer competition in Ethiopia in June/July 2018. Her commitment to fostering the next generation of innovators is further evident in her role as the coordinator of the University of Lagos Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Lab. (AIRLAB).

Beyond the academic sphere, Dr. Yinka-Banjo is a leading force in corporate social responsibility, and she is passionate about impacting communities through creative and innovative projects. She spearheads initiatives to introduce coding and robotics to young minds within UNILAG communities, emphasizing the importance of early exposure to these transformative fields.

In over two decades of an exemplary academic journey, Dr. Yinka-Banjo has received numerous awards and grants, attesting to her dedication and scholarly impact in sciences, computer science, artificial intelligence and robotics. She received the Abuja National Mathematics Center academic award for Best Mathematics Student in 1997 and a 3-year PhD scholarship at the University of Cape Town from the Organisation for Women in Science for Developing World (OWSD) Italy (2011-2015). Her pursuit of excellence continued with the L’Oreal-Unesco Fellowship for Women in Science (2013).

With a prolific research output of over 50 publications, Dr. Yinka-Banjo has significantly contributed to computer science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, and related areas. She won the prestigious MIT-ETT Outstanding Performance in Teaching Award.

A testament to her academic excellence, the astute academic has authored and co-authored publications in leading journals and conferences, establishing her as a prominent voice in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. In addition to an impressive publication record, Dr. Yinka-Banjo is a member of several prestigious professional bodies, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), and International Society for Knowledge Organization (ISKO).

She is also a Fellow of the Computer Professionals of Nigeria (CPN) and holds a membership in the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS). Her expertise is also confirmed by certifications, they include Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS) in SQL SERVER 2008 Database Development, Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) in Visual C#.Net Programming Language, Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) in Windows Server 2003 Environment and  Oracle Certified Professional (OCP). The membership and certifications underscore Dr. Yinka Banjo’s commitment to staying current.

As a testament to her global recognition, Dr. Yinka-Banjo was selected as one of the two hundred most qualified young researchers by the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation in 2018. She further enriched her expertise through a four-month Postdoc, Graduate Teaching Certificate research program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA in 2019. She recently won the “Outstanding Performance in Teaching Award” of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Empowering the Teachers (MIT-ETT).

Dr. Yinka-Banjo’s research endeavors have been supported by prestigious grants from organizations such as: Facebook now Meta in (2020) where she was a co-investigator on Ethics in AI Research Initiative for Africa (“What Value is in the Code? Human Rights by Design in AI Governance”), A Co-PI on Innovative Education Artificial Intelligence (EduAI) Hub for Sub-Sahara Africa sponsored by IDRC/SIDA (2021 – date), A Lead PI for Equitable AI on AI Gender Aware Auditing Tool sponsored by USAID/DAIGlobal (2022 – 2023) and A Lead PI for AI in Climate Action sponsored by RAINCA/RUFURUM-IDRC from 2023 to date. She recently completed research on “Gender Inequality in Healthcare Systems using Natural Languaage Processing: A Case-study of Sub-Saharan Africa” which was presented at the PyCon US 2024 Conference.

Her memberships in esteemed professional organizations, including Computer Professional Registration of Nigeria, IEEE, and ACM, underscore her commitment to advancing the frontiers of technology. Balancing her illustrious career with a fulfilling family life, Dr. Chika O. Yinka-Banjo is happily married and blessed with three lovely children: Victory Yinka-Banjo, Ruth Yinka-Banjo, and Joseph Yinka-Banjo.

In the aspect of Corporate Social Responsibility, as a dedicated advocate for promoting STEM education and digital skills among young people, Dr. Yinka-Banjo’s passion for empowering the next generation of innovators and promoting technological advancement in the community is profound. Through various initiatives, she has demonstrated commitment to community service.

Notable among many initiatives are Coding and Robotics summer schools at UNILAG (2021, 2022), Youth Coding Program (YCAD) at UNILAG (2022), Girls Coding Club at UNILAG (2019), UNILAG Robotics Competition and Workshop (2018), Robot Soccer Competition in Ethiopia (2018), CodeTheCurve Hackathon for COVID-19 (2020), and FLL Robotics National Competition and international representation in Greece (2021). She was part of the Thirty-sixth Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems(NeurIPS 2022), New Orleans, USA.

It was in recognition of her contribution to nation building in the area of Management, Development and Delivery of University Education in Nigeria that Dr. Chika Ogochukwu Yinka-Banjo was deemed worthy to be conferred with the Woman of Merit Gold Award.