Rotimi Aluko is a professor at the University of Manitoba (UM) in the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, as well as director of the Richardson Centre for Food Technology and Research. Originally from Nigeria, he completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees in biochemistry there before earning a PhD in food science at the University of Guelph. He moved to Winnipeg in 2001, where he lives with his wife. Their two children are grown; one lives in Winnipeg and the other is in Alberta.
Where did you work before UM?
I’ve been here for 25 years, but before UM I worked as a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Saskatoon.
What got you interested in becoming a professor?
From my undergraduate days I was fascinated by my professors, how they taught, carried themselves and were respected in society. I worked as a scientist with AAFC after my PhD, but I was always on the lookout for a professorial position. It had been a longtime goal, so when the opportunity came up, I took it.
Tell us a bit about what you’re working on at UM.
If I’m not teaching, I’m usually giving feedback on various documents. This includes grant applications, student theses and manuscripts, and preparing documents that highlight the centre’s activities.
In one of our current research projects, “Genotype and environment effects on sunflower and new sunflower protein study,” co-funded by Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA), we are looking at genotype versus environment effects on sunflower seed protein content and quality.
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