PROF. ENGR. ALABI ADEFOWOPE, PhD

Professor of Mechanical Engineering (Industrial & Production Engineering)

Professor Alabi Adefowope is a distinguished Mechanical Engineer, academic, and senior industry leader with over two decades of international experience spanning manufacturing, utilities, operations, maintenance, project management, and higher education. He currently holds academic appointments at Highstone International University (USA), Saint Lawrence College Ontario (Canada) and Pebble Hills University (USA), and has contributed significantly to engineering education, project management and applied research in both North America and Africa.

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

Professor Alabi’s professional journey is rooted in a lifelong passion for engineering, innovation, and practical problem-solving. From an early age, he demonstrated a strong aptitude for mechanics and electronics, frequently dismantling and assembling devices, constructing bicycles, and experimenting with mechanical systems. This early curiosity shaped his academic trajectory and led him to pursue science-based education and formal engineering training.

He commenced his professional education with intensive hands-on training in Power and Machinery Engineering before advancing to the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Nigeria. At FUTA, he earned advanced degrees in Mechanical Engineering, culminating in the award of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). His doctoral research, titled “Development of a Dynamic Model for Optimizing Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) in the Manufacturing Industry,” introduced a systems- oriented productivity model that integrates human, waste, and reliability factors into conventional OEE frameworks. To further strengthen his leadership and strategic capabilities, he also obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Post?Graduate Certificate in Project Management from St. Lawrence College, Canada.

PROFESSIONALAND INDUSTRIAL EXPERIENCE

Professor Alabi has accumulated extensive experience within multinational manufacturing

organizations, including British American Tobacco, Coca?Cola International, and the Heineken Group across West and Central Africa. Throughout his career, he has held senior leadership positions such as Head of Utilities, Operations Manager, Plant Manager, Shift Manager, and Head of Primary Manufacturing. In these roles, he led large multidisciplinary teams, managed end?to?end production systems, utilities, and logistics, and consistently delivered improvements in safety, quality, cost efficiency, and operational performance.

He later joined Saint?Gobain Canada as Head of Maintenance, Facilities, and Project Management, where he led unionized engineering and maintenance teams across multiple plants. His responsibilities included the delivery of multimillion?dollar CAPEX projects involving power generation systems, trigeneration plants, compressed air networks, CNC and automated manufacturing systems, industrial utilities, and wastewater treatment optimization. His leadership

contributed to measurable reductions in equipment downtime, enhanced asset reliability, improved energy efficiency, and sustained operational excellence.

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS AND TEACHING

Alongside his industrial career, Professor Alabi has maintained a strong and continuous commitment to academia. He has taught and supervised undergraduate and postgraduate students in Mechanical,