Meet Hallowed Olaoluwa, UNILAG lecturer who had double First Class at 18, PhD at 24
Dr. Hallowed Oluwadara Olaoluwa has emerged as one of Africa’s most remarkable academic prodigies, earning recognition as one of the youngest PhD holders on the continent after completing his doctorate
Dr. Hallowed Oluwadara Olaoluwa has emerged as one of Africa’s most remarkable academic prodigies, earning recognition as one of the youngest PhD holders on the continent after completing his doctorate in Mathematics at the University of Lagos at just 24.
His journey, marked by exceptional academic milestones and record-breaking achievements, continues to inspire young scholars across Nigeria and beyond.
Here are things to know about Dr. Hallowed Oluwadara Olaoluwa
Born on September 27, 1989, in Bangui to Nigerian missionary parents from Ekiti State, Olaoluwa’s journey has been defined by exceptional brilliance and record-breaking achievements from an early age.
He completed his primary and secondary education with four double promotions and passed the French Baccalauréat (equivalent to A’ Levels) in Sciences at the age of 14, making him one of the youngest to achieve that milestone in the Central African Republic at the time.
Olaoluwa went on to attend the University of Bangui, where he undertook the rare challenge of studying two degree programmes simultaneously. At just 18, he graduated in 2007 with First Class Honours in both Mathematics and Physics.
His outstanding performance earned him multiple accolades, including the All-Time Best B.Sc. Student in Mathematics and the Best B.Sc. Student in Physics.
Not stopping there, he repeated the extraordinary feat at the postgraduate level, completing two Master’s degrees in Mathematics and Physics concurrently at the same institution. He graduated at 19 with first class in both programmes, becoming the first and only student at the university to accomplish such.
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In pursuit of higher academic excellence, Olaoluwa enrolled at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), where he obtained his PhD in Mathematics in January 2014 at age 24. Specialising in Functional Analysis with a focus on Fixed Point Theory, he graduated with a perfect CGPA of 5.00/5.00.
His doctoral performance earned him the Overall Best Graduating PhD Student award for the 2012–2013 academic session, as well as the Best PhD Graduate in the Engineering/Sciences category.
Olaoluwa’s academic journey also includes international recognition. He received an offer to pursue advanced studies at Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI) in France and later became a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University between 2015 and 2016, where he worked on quantum ergodicity in mathematical physics. He is also a fellow of the Next Einstein Forum.
Over the years, he has received several awards, including the Ekiti State Merit Award (2014), Youngest PhD Holder in Africa of the Year (2014), and the Young Achievers Award by the Hallmarks of Labour Foundation. He was also recognised by the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum as the Youngest Academic Achiever in Nigeria.
Fluent in French, English, and Yoruba, Olaoluwa currently serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Lagos, where he continues to teach, mentor, and inspire the next generation of scholars.
