Biography

Prof. Vincent Ezikornwor Weli (FNIIA), a Professor of Atmospheric and Climate Science. He attended the Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borikiri, Port Harcourt from 1987-1992, after which he gained admission into the prestigious University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria where he obtained his B.Sc, (Second Class Upper Division) in Geography and Environmental Management, University of Port Harcourt graduating as the Best Graduating Student of both the Department of Geography and Environmental Management and the  Faculty of Social Sciences with a CGPA of 4.39 in 2001. His final year research work unraveled eleven (11) Potential service centers using Walter Christler’s model in Emohua Local Government Area, where the government should concentrate in sitting developmental projects and programmes. This is because the Eleven Potential service centers have the capacity to trickle down developmental impulses to the adjoining communities otherwise referred to as the hinterlands. This paper was published in the African Journal of Contemporary Issues, Vol 8, No. 2: Pp 178-187; Yaounde, Cameroun. This marked the beginning of his foreign publications.

His love for the academics took him back to the same citadel of learning from 2003 to 2004 for an M.Sc. in the same Department specializing in Climate Science with emphasis on Urban Flood Prediction using physical measurable attributes of rainfall intensities, rainfall amount, size of rain drops, flood height, distance away from the nearest river channel and height of location above mean sea level, deploying Digital Elevation Modelling in the city of Port Harcourt. The findings of this thesis with the paper titled “Urban flood prediction in a Sub Humid Tropical city: Implications for urban Land Use Planning in Port Harcourt, Nigeria” was published in the Journal Tropical Focus. Vol 9, No 2, Pp 211-220; Pacificam Douala, Cameroun. In 2014, Prof. Weli obtained his Ph.D. in Geography, Faculty of Science at the University of Ibadan which enjoys the accolade of “the First and the Best”. His Ph.D. research launched him into the thematic area of Air Pollution Meteorology all within the field of Atmospheric and Climate Science. This study generated some journal articles which includes Seasonal analysis of atmospheric pollutants concentrations in urban and rural landuse areas of Rivers State, Nigeria. International Journal of Environment and Pollution Research. Vol. 2; No 3. Pp 1-16. United Kingdom; Methane (CH₄) Monitoring and Background concentration in different land use areas of the tropical industrial city of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Port Harcourt. Journal of Social Sciences, Vol 6, No 1 & 2. Pp 169-146; Atmospheric concentration of Particulates and its implications for Respiratory Health Hazard Management in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Nigeria. Journal of Civil and Environmental Research. Vol. 6, No. 5 Pp 11-17. United States of America.

Prof. Weli is listed as a Google Scholar, Research Gate Scholar, Web of Science Researcher among others with over 350 citations, 423 downloads and 22,733 persons who have read his scholarly works all over the globe. He was a Visiting Research scholar in 2016, on” Advanced Training Program on Climate Impact and Coastal Vulnerability Assessment”, Department of Geo-sciences, University of Missouri, Kansas City, United States of America. Adjunct Lecturer, Nigeria Meteorological Training Institute, Oshodi, Lagos, 2019 till date; Visiting Scholar, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rivers State, 2020 till date; External Examiner, Post Graduate, Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) – 2021; External Examiner, Under Graduate, Department of Geography and Environmental Management,  Rivers State University (RSU), Port Harcourt – 2022; Professorial Assessor, Delta State University of Science and Technology, Ozoro,  Delta state. – 2022; Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Rumuorlumeni, Port Harcourt

Prof. Vincent Weli began his working trajectory as a Trainee Topographer (Surveyor Assistant) in 1991 at P.G.H. Ltd, East-West Road, Emohua L.G.A, Rivers State and was part of the workforce during the construction of Emohua-Buguma-Abonnema road/bridge project. He worked at the supervisory level at Osilosis Consult, on the Formal and Informal sector Enterprise Development, a World Bank Project in the Niger Delta and Socio-Economic Sector of Bonny Master Plan Development, Uptonvill & Al handasha Nigeria Limited, Rivers State. He had his one-year mandatory National Youth Service Corps at Ido-Osi L.G.A, Ekiti State between 2002 and 2003. Immediately after his NYSC, he had a stint as a Project Officer and Facilitator on Community Based Infrastructure/Project Planning, Implementation and Monitoring (MPP3) and Center for Development Support Initiatives (CEDSI) Port Harcourt, a European UNION Project in the Niger Delta from 2003 to 2004. And in 2005 after he discovered that the academics was where he belonged, he joined the University of Port Harcourt as Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management where he has risen through the ranks to become a Professor, serving in different capacities specially as the Head of Department between 2016-2018, Assistant Director and Acting Director, Institute of Natural Resources, Environment and Sustainable Development (INRES), University of Port Harcourt between April - June, 2019 and February, 2020 – March, 2021 respectively.

Other positions and membership of committees outside of teaching which Prof. Weli have held and currently functions include the following;

• Member, Committee on the drafting of Practical Manuals for Physical Geography, Department of Geography & Environmental Management, 2014.
• Faculty Coordinator, College of Continuing Education (CCE) Yenagoa study center. 2013-2015
• Associate Editor, Journal of Geographic Thought and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Port Harcourt.
• Reviewer, International Journal of Environment and Earth Sciences, Park Publishing Group, Pakistan, 2014.
• Member, Editorial Board, SAGE Journals, USA. 2014.
• Reviewer, International Journal of Agricultural Policy and Research, 2014.
• Reviewer, International Research Journal of Public and Environmental Health, 2014.
• Reviewer, International Journal of Environmental Science and Toxicology, 2015
• Member, European Centre for Research Training and Development UK, 2014
• Member, College of Graduate Studies (CGS) 73^rd PhD seminar assessment committee, 2014.
• Editorial Board member; Journal of Social Sciences Research, 2015
• Reviewer, Journal of Scientific Research and Reports. 2015
• Reviewer, International journal of Ecosystem, USA, 2015.
• Reviewer, Journal of Resources and Environment, USA, 2015.
• Reviewer, Journal of World Environment, USA, 2015.
• Member, Academic Committee, College of Continuing Education (CCE), University of Port Harcourt 2014 - 2019.
• Member, Academic Board Institute of Natural Resources, Environmental and Sustainable Development (INRES), 2015 till date
• University of Port Harcourt Senate Representative in Delta Series Editorial Board (Science), University of Port Harcourt, 2017-2019.
• University of Port Harcourt Council Representative in University Investment, 2017-2019
• Member, Research Ethics Committee, University of Port Harcourt, 2017 till date.
• Member, Academic board, School of Graduate Studies, June, 2019 – February, 2020.
• Member, Academic board, World Bank Africa Center for Oil Chemical Research, June 2019- 2021.
• Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Ecology and Natural Resources, USA. https://medwinpublishers.com/JENR/editorial-board.php. 2020 till date.

 

• Member, Editorial Board, Advances in Hydrology and Meteorology (AHM), USA. 2021 till date.
• Member, Climate Impact Research Capacity and Leadership Enhancement (CIRCLE), University of Port Harcourt Team – 2017 till Date.
• Member, United States-West Africa Atlantic Coastal Resilience Research Consortium (CRRC) 2020 till date.
• Member, United State of America Lagos Consular Office Air Quality Technical Working group in Nigeria, 2022 till date.
• Member Editorial board, Journal of Geography, Geology and Environment. https://www.geojounal.net/board, India. 2022.
• Member, Climate Change and Green Growth Thought Leaders Panel, Consultant to Climate Change and Green Growth Department of African Development Bank (AfDB), 2020.
• Chairman, technical session of the 12^th Annual conference and AGM of Nigerian Association of Hydrological Sciences (NAHS) with the theme: Climate Change: Issues and challenges for sustainable water management in Nigeria. Rivers State University, Port Harcourt. 10-14^th October, 2022.

 

• Head, Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Port Harcourt, 2016-2019.

 

• Assistant Director, Institute of Natural Resources, Environment and Sustainable Development, University of Port Harcourt, April- June, 2019 and February, 2020 – March, 2021.

 

• Director, Institute of Natural Resources, Environment and Sustainable Development, University of Port Harcourt (INRES), June 2019 – February, 2020.

 

Over the years, Prof. Weli have been involved in various adhoc assignments and consultancy services at both State and National levels: He served as Member, Federal Ministry of Environment’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Review Panel on the Environmental Impact of the Proposed Oil Palm Estate Development at Ovia North-East L.G.A. Edo State by United Foods Industries Limited. Benin City in 2019. In 2012, He was involved in the Third Environmental Post Impact Assessment Report of K.S. Endeavour (PANAMA) Rig Gas Well-head explosion of Chevron at Koluama, Southern Ijaw, Bayelsa State. He was the Principal investigator in the Post Endangerment Assessment of the Bomu Manifold Oil Pipe Explosion, Fire, Emission and oil spillage in K. Dere, Biara, Kpor and Deken by SHELL Nigerian Limited in 2023.

 

He is listed as a Google Scholar, Research Gate Scholar, Web of Science Researcher among others with over 755 citations, 810 downloads and 30,733 persons who have read his scholarly works all over the globe. He was also a Visiting Research scholar in 2016, on” Advanced Training Program on Climate Impact and Coastal Vulnerability Assessment”, Department of Geo-Sciences, University of Missouri, Kansas City, United States of America. Prof. Weli research activities can be traced to the web links below;

 

• ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0766-3849
• Web of Science Researcher ID: https://publons.com/researcher/CAF-4841-2022.
• researchgate.net/profile/vincent-weli
• Vincent Ezikornwor Weli google scholar.