Ayokunle
(she/her)

Bat researcher and lecturer - Bowen University

Ayokunle Damilare

I am Damilare I. Ayokunle, a passionate early career researcher who is always eager to advance the frontier of knowledge through interactions with older and more advanced mentors in the field. I am currently employed as a bat researcher and lecturer at Bowen University. Nigeria while undergoing my Ph.D. research at the University of Ibadan in the same country. I decided to choose wildlife management and conservation during my third year in undergraduate school after I got exposed to wildlife coursework and practical. I learned about a major challenge facing conservation in Nigeria: the disappearance of the Nigerian rainforest due to a continuous increase in the demand for forest lands and forest products.

Since 2020, I have been actively working on Africa's second-largest bat species and the most populated bat species- Eidolon helvum. These animals are unique, being the only mammals with the ability of a sustained flight, but a lot is yet to be unraveled about them, hence my motivation.

​Among the most recent projects is “Understanding Fruit Bat Movement Pattern Leveraging on Radio Telemetry and Data Analytics” funded by both Bowen University and Data Science Africa (DSA) Grant. It is collaborative research among engineers, ecologists, and computer scientists to increase knowledge on the fruit bat and provide knowledge of the feeding site(s).
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Beyond hard work, I believe so much in smart work and also the creator of all including the fascinating bats. I enjoy traveling and site seeing a lot when I get the chance.

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