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25 June 2025 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath | Photo Lunga Luthuli
Dr Omololu Aluko
Dr Omololu Aluko, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biostatistics advances health research and collaboration during prestigious fellowship at Ghent University, Belgium.

Dr Omololu Aluko, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biostatistics in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS), recently completed a prestigious short research stay at Ghent University in Belgium. The fellowship, hosted in April 2025, was awarded through the highly competitive Africa Platform of Ghent University Association (GAP) funding scheme, with additional support from the UFS International Office. 

A recognised expert in infectious disease modelling, particularly HIV/AIDS research in low-resource settings, Dr Aluko has devoted his academic career to using biostatistics to address pressing health challenges. His selection for this fellowship marks a significant achievement both for his individual research trajectory and for the broader ambitions of the Faculty of Health Sciences and the UFS.

 

Strategic steps towards international collaboration 

The opportunity for the fellowship was first announced in the UFS Digest Newsletter. Motivated by the potential for international collaboration, Dr Aluko began seeking a host at Ghent University whose interests aligned with his own. After several weeks of correspondence with various departments and researchers, a suitable academic collaborator agreed to host him. 

With a host confirmed, Dr Aluko submitted his application, which underwent a rigorous review and selection process. His proposal was shortlisted and ultimately approved. While Ghent University provided partial funding, supplementary financial support was secured through the UFS International Office. Dr Aluko credits the office’s assistance – especially the guidance of Mr Kagiso Ngake, Senior Officer: Partnerships – for helping him successfully secure the necessary resources. 

 

Advancing research in health data science  

During his time at Ghent University, Dr Aluko focused on the application of machine learning algorithms to address public health challenges – an increasingly important field within the Faculty of Health Sciences. His research demonstrated how advanced data analysis techniques can improve health outcomes and optimise treatment strategies, especially in resource-constrained settings. 

Beyond the immediate research achievements, the fellowship laid a foundation for long-term collaboration between the UFS and Ghent University. Key outcomes include: 

  • Opportunities for joint PhD supervision, allowing UFS students to conduct part of their research at Ghent University 
  • Prospects for publishing collaborative research in leading international A1-rated journals 
  • The identification of a promising young research collaborator, paving the way for future academic partnerships 
  • Plans to explore future staff exchange programmes, as new funding calls are announced 

     

A growing partnership in a new academic field 

Dr Annelies Verdoolaege, Coordinator for the Africa Platform at Ghent University, emphasised the broader vision behind the initiative:

“The purpose of these fellowships is to foster structural academic collaboration between Ghent University and partners in Africa. We offer a dedicated amount of seed funding to support short-term mobility, with the aim of building long-term partnerships – through student exchange, joint PhDs, joint funding proposals, and collaborative research publications. 

The UFS is a long-standing partner of Ghent University, especially in Education, Linguistics, and Agriculture. We are delighted that this fellowship has taken place in the field of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modelling - a scientific domain still to be fully developed between our institutions.” 

 

Enhancing UFS’ global research impact 

Dr Aluko’s successful fellowship reflects the high calibre of researchers at the UFS and illustrates the importance of international academic mobility. By securing this competitive opportunity, Dr Aluko not only advanced his own work but also strengthened the UFS’ global research footprint - opening new collaborative avenues and reinforcing the university's growing reputation in health sciences and data-driven research. 

The UFS expresses its sincere gratitude to the Africa Platform of Ghent University and the UFS International Office for their critical support in enabling this milestone. Partnerships such as this are key to fulfilling the UFS’ mission of producing world-class research and fostering meaningful global engagement. 

News Archive

Internet Broadcast Project grabs attention of Commonwealth – and yet another award
2015-07-28


 
Learn more about the Internet Broadcast Project and its impact on learners’ lives

The Internet Broadcast Project (IBP) has brought yet another international award to the University of the Free State (UFS). This project – which is changing the lives of Free State school learners – has won second place in the Commonwealth Education Good Practice Awards, a huge achievement considering that the IBP was chosen from 89 submissions entered by a total of 20 countries belonging to the Commonwealth.

This latest award comes close on the heels of another international award that was presented to the IBP recently. In April 2015, the project was the winner of the 2015 Enterprise Video Award (EVA) in the category Video in Education Scholarship. This makes it two in a row, since the IBP also won an EVA in 2014 for Innovation in Pedagogy.

 

Mr Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat, presenting the second-place prize for the Commonwealth Good Practice Awards to Sarietjie Musgrave, Head: ICTISE (ICT in School Education) on behalf of ICTISE.
Photo: Peter Ramsay

Live broadcast at no cost to schools
The IBP – presented from the UFS South Campus – makes use of the best teachers to broadcast lessons to school learners who do not have access to quality education. More than 10 subjects are broadcast live, via VSAT Internet Access, to 70 centres across the province. The technology provided at each school allows learners to communicate with the presenter in the studio during broadcast at no cost to the school or learner.

“Through the IBP,” says Sarietjie Musgrave, Head: ICTISE (ICT in School Education), “we aim to bring quality education to each and every learner, regardless of their socio-economic status or geographical location, while delivering cost-effective continuous teacher professional development directly relevant to the Free State community we serve.”

Making a positive difference
The Commonwealth Education Good Practice Awards honour education programmes that have made a positive difference to the status and condition of school children, teachers, or the education system in their countries. The IBP was lauded for its excellence in six of the Action Areas of Good Practices:

• Relevance
• Measurable impact and effect
• Sustainability
• Efficiency and effectiveness
• Community participation
• Replication

“Receiving this international award,” says Musgrave, “shows that we are having an impact worldwide.”

 

 

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