Omolade Ilesanmi | Discourse Studies | Research Excellence Award

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Dr. Omolade Ilesanmi | Discourse Studies | Research Excellence Award

Lecturer II at McPherson University | Nigeria

Omolade Mayokun Ilesanmi is a scholar of English language and discourse studies whose research interrogates the interactions among media discourse, identity, humour, gender, sexuality, and protest communication within contemporary Nigerian and African sociocultural spaces. Her work draws on critical discourse analysis, multimodality, pragmatics and sociolinguistic approaches to uncover how ideology, power and representation shape public narratives across digital platforms, popular culture and mediated communication. She has published in international peer-reviewed outlets such as African Identities, Sexuality & Culture and Comedy Studies, offering innovative insights into youth activism, queer-related humour, digital resistance, stand-up comedy as social commentary, and media portrayals of social actors. Her research spans the discursive framing of protest movements, multimodal representations of conflict, narrative constructions of single motherhood in film, and the pragmatic functions of humour in shaping public perception. She also investigates the linguistic dynamics of online matchmaking shows, identity negotiation in digital spaces and the cultural politics embedded in comedic performance and digital storytelling. Her published and ongoing works contribute to expanding discourse-analytic perspectives on African media ecologies, marginalised identities and socio-political communication. She has authored a book chapter with a global academic publisher and maintains an active publication pipeline with several manuscripts under review in respected journals. Her emerging scholarly impact is reflected in a citation record of 13 citations, an h-index of 1, and an i10-index of 1, demonstrating a steadily growing research footprint. Through collaborative and individual scholarship, she continues to advance interdisciplinary conversations in discourse studies, gender and sexuality studies, and digital communication.

Profiles: Google Scholar | LinkedIn | ResearchGate

Featured Publications

Osisanwo, A., & Ilesanmi, O. (2023). Gender, ethnic and class as humour strategies in stand-up comedy of Bovi, Kenny Blaq, Akpororo and Basket Mouth. Comedy Studies, 14(1), 20–35.
(Cited by: 12)

Ilesanmi, O., & Osisanwo, A. (2024). Discursive tropes of aggression against queer-sexuality in Nigerian standup comedy. Sexuality & Culture, 28(6), 2860–2878.
(Cited by: 1)

Ilesanmi, O. (2026). Multimodal representation of herder-farmer conflicts in selected Nigerian online cartoons. In Conflict and representation in online communication (pp. 169–200).

Ilesanmi, O. (2025). Discursive tropes of youth activism in the tweets of virtual #EndSARS protesters. African Identities, 1–21.

Hellen Agumba | Education | Best Researcher Award

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Dr. Hellen Agumba | Education | Best Researcher Award

Senior Lecturer at University of Johannesburg | South Africa

Dr. Hellen Ochuot-Agumba is an accomplished scholar and educator in Education and Curriculum Studies, widely recognized for her research on social justice, rurality, formative assessment, and teacher professional development within higher education. Her scholarly contributions explore how rural contexts influence students’ access to and participation in higher education, emphasizing equity and inclusive pedagogical practices. She has published influential works in leading journals such as Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning (CriSTaL), Interchange, and the International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research. Actively engaged in postgraduate supervision, academic examination, and journal reviewing, Dr. Agumba demonstrates a sustained commitment to nurturing scholarly excellence and advancing transformative educational practices. Beyond research, she contributes to key academic and community initiatives, including the Teaching Advancement at University (TAU) Fellowships and professional development programs for teachers. Her outstanding achievements have earned her notable recognitions, including the Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Award for Most Promising Young Teacher and the Duncan Fraser Award for best paper at the Research in Engineering Education Symposium. A member of prestigious associations such as HELTASA and WERA, Dr. Agumba continues to influence educational discourse at both national and international levels. Her academic portfolio reflects measurable scholarly impact, with 13 citations by 13 documents, 5 published works, and an h-index of 2, demonstrating her growing influence in advancing equitable and inclusive education research.

Profile: Scopus | Orcid | Google Scholar | Research Gate | LinkedIn

Featured Publications

Agumba, H., Simpson, Z., & Ndofirepi, A. (2023). Towards understanding the influence of rurality on students’ access to and participation in higher education. Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning (CriSTaL), 11(1), 22–42.

Ochuot, H. A., & Modiba, M. (2018). Formative assessment as critical pedagogy: A case of business studies. Interchange, 49(4), 477–497.

Agumba, H. (2020). The rural gaze: Access, participation, and success in higher education. In Rurality, Social Justice and Education in Sub-Saharan Africa, Volume II.

Ndofirepi, A., & Masinire, A. (2020). Rurality, social justice and education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Palgrave Macmillan.

Serekoane, M., Ochuot-Agumba, H., & van Vuuren, C. J. (2022). Situating inquiry pedagogical practices in the classroom to foster a high-impact research-minded learning experience. African Journal of Inter/Multidisciplinary Studies, 4(si1), 14–27.