Adetola Salau is a social innovator and educator passionate about applying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) skills to break the cycle of poverty in Africa, and most especially Nigeria. She is driven by the desire to prepare African students for the future.

She has a B.Sc in Chemistry (Honors) (Fordham), an M.Sc in Engineering Management, and another M.Sc in Chemical Engineering. Both are from Syracuse University. She has a Ph.D. in Curriculum, Instruction, and the Science of Learning from the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.

She was selected to participate in the 2018 Spring Cohort of the MIT Innovation and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp. She is part of a global focus group at the Smithsonian Science Education Center relating to STEM Education for Sustainable Development (STEM4SD.) She is a Moving Worlds Institute Fellow.

Adetola is the author of ten books on STEM education and is also a contributor to several journals and opinion eds.

She is also the recipient of several scholarships and awards, including International Internship University’s Africa award for Excellence (2022)GSE Dean’s Scholarship for Educational Diversity and Excellence, 2019 -2020; Ambassador of STEM Award (2017); African Quality Award – in recognition of achievement and immense contribution to Human Capital Development (2017)– International Summit of Leaders, April (2018); Award of Excellence – Teachers are the Future Conference (2019).

She began her career as a public school teacher in New York, teaching mathematics. In 2016, she founded Carisma4U Educational Foundation as a way of advocating for STEM education. Her organization organizes STEM education programs, such as boot camps and outreaches, to help young people embrace STEM subjects as critical tools for improving lives and driving development.

In January 2020, Adetola was appointed as the Senior Special Assistant on Education to the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Nigeria. In her role, she partners with stakeholders in various settings to solve challenges in the education space, particularly by infusing STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) into the academic curriculum.

She aspires to continue to be a leading force in education revitalization in Nigeria and Africa, specifically in STEM.