Rate My Professor Kunle Adebowale

Dr. Kunle Adebowale is a Teaching Fellow in the Ecology Programme within the Department of Botany, Sciences Division, at the University of Otago. He holds a PhD and specializes in plant systematics and evolutionary ecology. His expertise includes geometric morphometrics, phylogenetics, plant conservation, molecular systematics, biodiversity, ecology and evolution, and sustainability. Much of his research focuses on southern African flora, particularly the Strychnos genus (Loganiaceae), employing techniques such as elliptic Fourier analysis for leaf shape variation, ITS2 secondary structure modeling for species delimitation, and comparative foliar epidermal micromorphology.

Adebowale's career encompasses key academic appointments: Senior Lecturer at Sol Plaatje University (February 2016–April 2021), Lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand (January 2010–December 2014), and Research Associate at Rhodes University (January 2019–December 2024). At Otago, he teaches courses such as ECOL111 Ecology and Conservation and ECOL212 Ecology in the Real World. His major publications include 'Elliptic Fourier analysis of leaf shape in southern African Strychnos section Densiflorae (Loganiaceae)' (2012), 'Molecular systematics of southern African monkey orange Strychnos L. (Loganiaceae)' (2016), 'ITS2 secondary structure for species circumscription: case study in southern African Strychnos L. (Loganiaceae)' (2016), 'Divergence times estimates and historical biogeography of southern African Strychnos L. (Loganiaceae)' (2015), 'Big Data in Biodiversity Science: A Framework for Engagement' (2021), and 'Geometric morphometric analysis of gonopods in Bicoxidens flavicollis populations (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida, Spirostreptidae)' (2022). These contributions enhance taxonomic classification, phylogenetic relationships, and conservation strategies for biodiversity hotspots.