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From Felix Ikem, Nsukka
A professor of Industrial and Organisational Psychology at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Ike Ernest Onyishi, has won the Vice-Chancellor’s Research Leadership Prize at the university’s 55th Convocation Ceremony.
The award was presented on Saturday during the conferment of higher and honorary doctorate degrees at the Margaret Ekpo Convocation Arena.
Announcing the award, the Registrar of the university, Dr Ngozi Nnebedum, said Prof. Onyishi emerged winner after a rigorous and transparent selection process in recognition of his outstanding contributions to research development and the global visibility of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Reacting to the honour, Prof. Onyishi, who is a member of the UNN Governing Council, described the award as a special recognition from his home institution and expressed gratitude to the University, the Faculty of the Social Sciences, his students, especially PhD students, and research collaborators for their support.
“I have been working hard to the best of my abilities and have attained a top scholar position in my area of study in terms of ranking. I was nominated for this award by my Faculty, and I am happy that I won it. I am grateful to UNN, my Faculty of the Social Sciences, Department of Psychology and my students for this honour,” he said.
He noted that while his research had received international recognition, the latest honour from UNN held a special place because it came from his home institution.
According to him, the award would motivate him to contribute more to research development in Nigeria and inspire younger scholars to pursue impactful research.
Prof. Onyishi joined the services of the University of Nigeria in 2002 as an Assistant Lecturer and was promoted to Professor in 2015. He has established himself as one of Africa’s leading scholars in Industrial and Organisational Psychology.
He has published more than 150 scholarly works, including journal articles, book chapters and conference papers, covering workplace stress, psychological empowerment, organisational support, employee well-being and human resource management.
His research has appeared in several high-impact international journals, including Nature Communications, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Personnel Review and Current Psychology. He has also collaborated with more than 200 researchers from universities across the world.
In recognition of his research excellence, Prof. Onyishi received the prestigious Georg Forster Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany, in 2017. He subsequently served as a Research Fellow and Professor at the University of Muenster, Germany, between 2017 and 2018, and was a Research Fellow at Rhodes University, South Africa. He is also a Senior Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg.
The award recipient has supervised more than 20 PhD graduates and over 30 master’s degree students. He is currently the most-cited scholar in UNN’s Faculty of the Social Sciences and the most-cited psychology researcher in Nigeria.
Prof. Onyishi has previously served as Head of the Department of Psychology, Acting Director of the Prof. BIC Ijoma Centre for Policy and Research, and Dean of the Faculty of the Social Sciences. He is currently a member of the University of Nigeria Governing Council and belongs to several professional bodies, including the Nigerian Psychological Association, the Nigerian Association of Industrial and Organisational Psychologists, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (USA), the Association for the Promotion of African Studies, the African Educational and Research Network, and the African-German Network of Excellence in Science.
