Professor Rasheed Adeleke is presently a full Professor of Microbiology at North-West University, Potchefstroom campus, North-West. He worked as a Senior Researcher at the Agricultural Research Council between 2011 and 2019. He obtained my PhD degree from the University of Pretoria, Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology. He is an alumnus of the Borlaug fellowship programme at Cornell University as well as a Canadian government commonwealth scholarship beneficiary. He collaborates with researchers both nationally and internationally. Prof. Adeleke was educated in Nigeria, South Africa, and Canada. He completed periods of post-doctoral programmes in South Africa, the United States of America (USA), and Germany. His first degree was obtained from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He then proceeded to undertake his Masters’ degree programme at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, where he graduated with distinction (cum laude). During his PhD programme at University of Pretoria, he was awarded a commonwealth scholarship, tenable at the University of Laval. In 2011, the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) of South Africa appointed him as a senior researcher at the Institute for Soil, Water and Climate (ISWC). In 2018, he accepted the position of an associate professor at the North-West University of South Africa, Potchefstroom. In January 2022, he was promoted to the position of full professor by the same university. He has over 20 years’ experience in plant microbial ecology specialising in plant beneficial microbes with specific focus on endophytes, such as mycorrhizal fungi, and plant-growth promoting microorganisms. His research theme is harnessing microbial activities for environmental protection and sustainable agricultural practices. In addition, he is an editorial board member/associate editor for three international journals.
