Dr Oluwaseun Damilola Ajayi

Senior Lecturer in Real Estate | Candidate for Principal Lecturer (Associate Professor)

Coventry, UK.

About

Distinguished Senior Lecturer and candidate for Principal Lecturer in Real Estate, specializing in climate-informed valuation and decision-making under uncertainty, integrating real estate economics, climate risk analytics, and computational methods. Secured over £500,000 in competitive research grants from prestigious bodies like the International Real Estate Business School, DAAD, Investment Property Forum and RICS etc, driving impactful research in sustainable real estate. Recognized for exceptional academic leadership (best lecturer awards), curriculum innovation (SFHEA), and fostering professional judgment across undergraduate and postgraduate programs, while actively shaping international scholarly discourse and delivering institution-building impact.

Work

Harper Adams University

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Senior Lecturer in Real Estate

Newport, United Kingdom, UK

Jan 2025→ Present

Summary

Leads and contributes to modules in built environment and sustainable built environment, while securing significant research funding for climate risk studies.

Highlights

Designed and co-led curriculum for Introduction to Built Environment & Sustainable Built Environment (UG), implementing in 2025–26 and aligning with Harper Graduate Attributes.

Secured a £9,000 Investment Property Forum research grant for climate risk studies within the first three months of appointment.

Awarded the Emeritus Professor Sarah Sayce award (£3,500) for sustainability research within the initial three months at Harper Adams.

London Metropolitan University

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Course Leader and Programme Lead (UG & PG Real Estate)

London, United Kingdom, UK

Jan 2023→ Dec 2025

Summary

Provided comprehensive academic leadership for undergraduate and postgraduate Real Estate programs, ensuring curriculum coherence, assessment standards, and professional alignment.

Highlights

Exercised full academic leadership for UG and PG Real Estate programs, overseeing curriculum, assessment, and student progression for hundreds of students.

Led curriculum reconfiguration to strategically reposition programs around sustainability, valuation rigor, and professional judgment, enhancing alignment with contemporary real estate practice.

Acted as the final academic decision-maker on complex program matters, including progression and assessment irregularities, ensuring defensible judgment and regulatory compliance.

Represented programs externally to professional bodies and accrediting organizations, including managing RICS-facing academic assurance processes.

Provided academic leadership to teaching teams, setting standards and stabilizing program delivery through periods of significant organizational change.

Oxford Brookes University

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Module Leader and Senior Lecturer in Real Estate

Oxford, United Kingdom, UK

Jan 2022→ Dec 2023

Summary

Contributed significantly to undergraduate and postgraduate real estate education within a research-active built environment school.

Highlights

Contributed to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching across valuation, professional practice, and real estate finance modules.

Supervised numerous dissertations, guiding students through research processes and academic writing.

Engaged in curriculum development initiatives, ensuring course content remained relevant and research-informed within the built environment discipline.

Obafemi Awolowo University

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Lecturer in Estate Management

Ile-Ife, Nigeria, Nigeria

Jan 2013→ Dec 2022

Summary

Maintained a long-standing academic appointment, leading curriculum, delivering core modules, and supervising undergraduate research at scale.

Highlights

Held curriculum leadership responsibilities, ensuring the integrity and relevance of the Estate Management program.

Delivered core modules in valuation, property management, taxation, and planning to large student cohorts.

Supervised over 50 undergraduate research dissertations, fostering foundational research skills and academic independence.

Gained extensive experience in teaching at scale, curriculum stewardship, and cross-cultural higher education practices.

Volunteer

Visiting Senior Lecturer (Pro Bono)

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Redeemer’s University

Jan 2023→ Present

Contributed specialist teaching and mentorship to strengthen academic capacity in a developing higher education context.

Highlights

Designed and delivered advanced teaching in research methods, valuation, and real estate finance to postgraduate students.

Provided academic mentorship to early-career lecturers and postgraduate students, supporting curriculum development and scholarly progression.

Contributed to strengthening institutional research culture by modeling rigorous research design and critical engagement.

Vice Chair / Programme Chair

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Future Leaders of the African Real Estate Society

Jan 2022→ Dec 2024

Led strategic design and delivery of continent-wide academic and professional development programs for early-career real estate scholars.

Highlights

Elected to senior leadership within an international professional–academic body, shaping academic and professional development across Africa.

Held strategic responsibility for designing and delivering continent-wide academic and professional development programs, influencing content and engagement.

Led the coordination of structured programs supporting doctoral candidates, early-career academics, and emerging professionals, strengthening research capacity.

Oversaw planning and academic content for conference and seminar programs, ensuring relevance to contemporary real estate challenges.

Collaborated with senior academics and industry leaders to position AfRES as a credible platform for talent development and scholarly exchange.

Education

University of the Witwatersrand

Johannesburg, South Africa, South Africa

Jan 2017→ Dec 2022

PhD Real Estate (Investment & Finance)

University of Regensburg (IREBS)

Regensburg, Germany, Germany

Jan 2019→ Dec 2020

DAAD Visiting Doctoral Researcher Real Estate (PhD Exchange)

Obafemi Awolowo University

Ile-Ife, Nigeria, Nigeria

Jan 2014→ Dec 2015

MSc Estate Management

Obafemi Awolowo University

Ile-Ife, Nigeria, Nigeria

Jan 2006→ Dec 2010

BSc Estate Management

Awards

Winner, Emeritus Professor Sarah Sayce Sustainability Research Award

Jan 2025

Property Research Trust, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Aubrey Barker Fund, United Kingdom

Nationally competitive award recognizing research of exceptional originality and applied impact in sustainability, valuation, and real estate decision-making.

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)

Jan 2025

Advance HE, United Kingdom

Recognition of sustained leadership, influence, and impact in learning and teaching across higher education.

Principal Investigator, Competitive Research Grant

Jan 2024

Investment Property Forum, United Kingdom

UK industry-funded research grant supporting applied research on climate risk, valuation, and investment decision-making.

Recipient, 100 Global Thought Leaders of Excellence

Jan 2024

Excellence Talks (563,000 Followers), LinkedIn

Recognized as one of the outstanding and TOP 100 Thought leaders of the year by Excellence Talks.

Top 3 Outstanding Member of Academic Staff

Jan 2024

London Metropolitan University Students’ Awards, United Kingdom

Institution-wide recognition for teaching excellence, leadership, and student impact.

Best Paper Award

Jan 2022

African Real Estate Society / International Real Estate Business School, Ghana

Awarded to the highest-rated refereed paper at an international real estate conference.

Best Paper Award

Jan 2021

African Real Estate Society / International Real Estate Business School, Zambia

Competitive award recognizing originality, rigor, and scholarly contribution.

Fellow, Wits–ASRI Civic Leadership Programme

Jan 2021

University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Competitive fellowship recognizing academic leadership, civic engagement, and institutional contribution.

Winner, Rising Talent Award

Jan 2021

University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

University-wide award recognizing early-career academic distinction and future leadership potential.

Doctoral Completion Grant

Jan 2020

IREBS Foundation for African Real Estate Research, Germany

Awarded to support timely doctoral completion and high-quality research output in real estate economics.

Doctoral Research Fellowship

Jan 2019

DAAD – German Academic Exchange Service, Germany

Highly competitive international fellowship supporting advanced doctoral research and academic exchange in Germany.

Doctoral Scholarship

Jan 2017

Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Nigeria

Competitive national scholarship funding doctoral training and research in real estate and the built environment.

Best Lecturer Award

Jan 2016

Estate Management Students’ Association, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria

Student-led recognition of excellence in teaching, clarity, and mentorship.

Publications

Integrating Climate Risk into Real Estate Investment Strategies.

Investment Property Forum Research Awards Programme

Jan 2026

Principal Investigator on industry-commissioned research with a £9,000 grant, focusing on climate risk integration.

Pricing the Unseen: Integrating Climate Risk into UK Real Estate Investment Strategies under the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan.

Property Research Trust / RICS

Jan 2025

Winner of the Sarah Sayce Sustainability Research Award for research on climate risk integration in UK real estate.

Do Internally Managed REITs manipulate earnings more than Externally Managed REITs?

Real Estate Management and Valuation

Jan 2024

Examines earnings manipulation differences between internally and externally managed REITs.

Causal Behaviour of REIT Dividend Return under Asymmetric Market Information: Evidence from SA REIT Market.

International Real Estate Review

Jan 2024

Investigates the causal behavior of REIT dividend returns in the South African market under asymmetric information.

South African Real Estate Investment Trusts Prefer Tuesdays.

Risk and Financial Management

Jan 2024

Analyzes trading patterns and market anomalies in South African REITs, identifying a preference for Tuesdays.

Modelling of Daily Price Volatility of South-Africa Property Stock Market Using GARCH Analysis.

Journal of African Real Estate Research

Jan 2022

Applies GARCH analysis to model daily price volatility in the South African property stock market.

Are Secondary Equity Offerings (SEOs) of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) REITs less underpriced than non-BEE REITs?

Journal of Property Investment and Finance

Jan 2022

Compares underpricing of Secondary Equity Offerings between BEE and non-BEE REITs in South Africa.

Empirical Evidence on the Measurement of Information Asymmetry on the Pricing of REITs on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

11th Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Postgraduate Research Conference

Jan 2019

Refereed book chapter accepted for presentation, exploring information asymmetry in REIT pricing.

Demographic Factors and Students’ Satisfaction in Nigerian Private Universities.

Covenant Journal in Research & Built Environment (CJRBE)

Jan 2016

Examines the influence of demographic factors on student satisfaction in Nigerian private universities.

Attitudes of Nigerian facilities management professionals to the benefits of benchmarking.

Facilities

Jan 2016

Investigates Nigerian facilities management professionals' attitudes towards benchmarking benefits.

Causes and Effects of Building Collapse in Lagos State, Nigeria.

Civil and Environmental Research

Jan 2015

Analyzes the root causes and widespread effects of building collapses in Lagos State, Nigeria.

Languages

English

Certificates

Senior Fellow (SFHEA)

Jan 2025

Advance HE, United Kingdom

Chartered Membership (interview stage)

Jan 2024

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, United Kingdom

Registered Estate Surveyor and Valuer (A.3685)

Jan 2015

Estate Surveyors & Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria, Nigeria

Associate Member (ANIVS 3974)

Jan 2014

Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Nigeria

Skills

Real Estate & Valuation

Climate-Informed Valuation, Real Estate Economics, Investment Analysis, Property Development, Property Management, Real Estate Finance, REIT Governance, Land Use Policy, Rural/Peri-Urban Systems, Asset Pricing, Portfolio Construction, Regulatory Compliance, Facilities Management, Sustainability Assessment, Thames Estuary 2100 Plan.

Research & Analytics

Climate Risk Analytics, Spatial Econometrics, Machine Learning, Volatility Modelling, High-Frequency Data Analysis, Research Design, Quantitative Methods, Mixed Methods, Applied Empirical Analysis, Climate Value-at-Risk (CVaR), GARCH Analysis, Statistical Software (e.g., Stata, R), Data Interpretation, Policy-Shock Identification.

Academic Leadership & Pedagogy

Curriculum Development, Assessment Design, Postgraduate Supervision (MSc, MBA, PhD), Doctoral Mentorship, Academic Governance, Quality Assurance, Programme Leadership, Teaching Innovation, Jollof Research Framework, Workforce Development, CPD Design, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Module Design, Student Progression, Academic Misconduct Adjudication.

Communication & Engagement

Professional Dissemination, Editorial Leadership, Peer Review, Public Speaking, Conference Presentations, Stakeholder Engagement, Grant Writing, Policy Advocacy, Digital Dissemination, International Networking, Academic Consultancy, Mentorship.

Professional Affiliations

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), Registered Estate Surveyor and Valuer (RSV), Associate Member, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (ANIVS), Chartered Membership (MRICS - interview stage), African Real Estate Society (AfRES), American Real Estate Society (ARES), International Real Estate Society (IRES).

Projects

Harper Climate Risk Valuation Lab

Jan 2026→ Present

Summary

Proposed development of a valuation-focused, asset-level climate risk lab embedded within a land and rural university context, positioning Harper Adams at the forefront of climate-adjusted valuation research for rural, peri-urban, and land-based assets.