BABATUNDE OLUSOLA OPE-DAVIES

TITLE: PROFESSOR

NAME:  BABATUNDE OLUSOLA OPE-DAVIES

POSITION: PROFESSOR & CENTRE DIRECTOR

EDUCATION:

     Personal Statement

                I am a Professor in Digital Humanities, Digital Cultures, Digital Media,  English & Discourse Studies,  at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, as well as founder and director of the Centre for Digital Humanities, University of Lagos (www.cedhul.com.ng) (the premier centre in Africa). I am a member of the prestigious Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) and  a Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany. My work focuses on exploring the intersections between humanities and technology with particular interests in digital linguistics, digital discourse, digital cultures, discourse studies, digital health humanities, and digital environmental humanities.  I seek to  explore the centrality and benefits  of discourse in society,  and provide solutions to the role of discourse and communication in society from the traditional and digital perspectives. As  a leading scholar whose work transcends disciplinary boundaries,  I seek to promote the principles and practice of  Digital Cultures, Digital Humanities, and Discourse Studies in Africa and the global south.  Having obtained my degrees at the University of Lagos, my foundational understanding of the Nigerian academic landscape is profound, yet my research impact is decidedly global.  My  international scholarly engagements underscore the universal relevance and innovative nature of my  work. As a Commonwealth Fellow at the University of Westminster, a visiting researcher at the University of Edinburgh, and a visiting professor at both the University of Technology, Chemnitz, and the University of Hamburg, I have  cultivated a rich network of international collaborations. These experiences have undoubtedly informed his research, enabling me to approach issues of digital transformation and discourse with a comparative and globally informed perspective.  My recognition as a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, a grantee of the Volkswagen Foundation  and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Nigeria,  further attests to the calibre and significance of my research on the national and international stages.   At the heart of my scholarly endeavour is the critical exploration of the intersection between digital technologies, cultural practices, and discursive formations. My  work in Digital Cultures  investigates how digital media reshape societal norms, identities, and interactions. In Digital Humanities, I am at the forefront of applying computational methods to traditional humanities research, opening new avenues for understanding texts, archives, and cultural phenomena in the digital age.  I have been  actively shaping its understanding through rigorous research, institutional leadership, and a steadfast commitment to fostering a vibrant scholarly community in Nigeria and Africa. My  work offers invaluable contributions to our comprehension of how digital technologies are transforming cultures and discourses.

        Positions, Scientific Appointments, and Honours

• Founder & Director, Centre for Digital Humanities, University of Lagos 2019 till Date (the first full-fledged,     stand-alone Digital Humanities Centre in Nigeria & Africa)
• Dean, Faculty of Humanities, Anchor University, Lagos – August 2, 2021- January 2022
• Head, Department of English, University of Lagos -August 1, 2019 to July 31, 2021
• Visiting Research Fellow & Professor, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Institute for English & American Studies,  University of Hamburg, Germany( May 1-July 31^st 2022)
• Visiting Research Fellow & Professor, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Institute for English & American Studies, Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany ( December 2018- March 2019)
• Visiting Research Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, University of      Edinburgh,          United Kingdom (August – October 2017)
• Senior Research Fellow & Visiting Professor, sponsored by the Alexander von Humboldt                          Foundation at    Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany (2013-2015)
• Co-editor and chapters contributor, National Universities Commission’s (NUC) CCMAS Course Text on Digital Humanities for Nigerian Universities-2023
• Ranking (2^nd Term) Member, Governing Council, Anchor University, Ayobo, Lagos
• Chairman, Board of Trustees, Corpus Linguistics Association of Nigeria (CLAN)
• Senior Special Assistant to Lagos State Governor on Speech & Communication (2007-2011)
• President, Digital Humanities Association of Nigeria (DHAN), (2017 till Date)
• Elected Executive Board Member, Global Outlook for Digital Humanities (GO::DH) ( 2017-2020)
• Founding Member, Africa Network for Digital Humanities (2019)

         Selected Most Recent Publications/Contributions to Knowledge

     1.Ope-Davies, T. and Nkemleke, D. ( 2025/Press) (eds). Language, Technology, and Society: Essays in Honour of             Josef Schmied. Lagos & Gottingen: Academic Publications Centre/ Culliver Verlag

     2.Ope-Davies, T. (2025). Digital Humanities, Digital Cultures and Digital Entrepreneurship: Exploring Opportunities, Leveraging Possibilities. Lagos: Academic Publications Centre

     3.Ope-Davies (Opeibi), T. Anowu,E., Adedeji, K.(2025) Digital Public Health Advocacy in Nigeria: A Multimodal Study of WhatsApp-mediated COVID-19 Posts.    In Crompton, C.,  Estill, L., Lane, R.J., Siemens, R. (eds) The Companion to Digital Humanities in Practice . London: Routledge

    4.Ope-Davies, T. Akinola, J. and Anowu, A. (2023). Initiating and Sustaining a Digital Humanities Laboratory in Nigeria. In                Urszula Pawlicka-Deger and Christopher Thomson (eds) Digital Humanities and Laboratories: Perspectives on Knowledge, Infrastructure and Culture. London: Routledge (United Kingdom)

    5.Ope-Davies (Opeibi), T. & Shodipe, M.  (2023).  A Multimodal Discourse Study of Selected COVID-19 Online Public Health      Campaign Texts in Nigeria.  Discourse & Society, Vol 34 (1). 1-24  The Netherlands)

       Collaborators/Networks

• Professor Josef Schmied, English & Digital Linguistics, University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany
• Professor Dan O’Donnell, Digital Humanities Lab, Dept. of English, University of Lethbridge, Canada
• Intermac Consulting, Lagos
• Université de Bourgogne, Europe in France
• Digital Humanities Centre, North-West University, South Africa.