Adeoyin Inaolaji recognized with Pillars of Leadership Award

By Peter Murphy

“I see mentorship as a reciprocal journey. I’ve grown just as much from working with my students as I hope they have from working with me,” Inaolaji said. “I am grateful to be part of their stories and to witness their development into thoughtful, capable and innovative professionals.”

The Pillars of Leadership Awards, formerly the LEAD Awards, recognize individuals and organizations with a demonstrated commitment to leadership, service and the University at Buffalo. The university gives out several of these awards based on different categories. There were over 130 nominations for this year, including multiple made by Inaolaji’s students.

Inaolaji is a self-described clean energy enthusiast, and her research focuses on optimizing photovoltaic-rich power systems, distributed control, smart inverters and electric vehicles. Her work also involves modeling, analysis and optimization of the power grid with high penetration of renewable energy resources. She works closely with her students to set them up to be effective researchers, and takes an approach tailored to each student, offering guidance and encouragement in preparing conference papers, navigating decisions, or securing funding.

“In research, mentorship is individualized—I work closely with students to co-develop research plans, refine their technical skills and support their professional aspirations,” Inaolaji said. 

According to Inaolaji, mentoring is more than just offering guidance, it starts with a unique mindset for each student that keeps their goals in mind. A good mentor does more than just direct a student through a set of courses or actions.

“Effective mentorship begins with empathy—truly listening and seeking to understand each student’s unique goals, challenges and potential.” Inaolaji said. “A good mentor also empowers, encourages critical thinking, resilience and ownership of one’s path. I also value creating opportunities—connecting students to networks, research and leadership experiences they might not otherwise access.”

Inaolaji received the Exemplary Mentorship Award for New Faculty/Professional Staff Members. This honor is reserved for faculty or professional staff members with up to five years of experience in their field, and who have shown an outstanding commitment to mentoring, developing, and positively impacting students through their support and engagement. Since joining UB in 2024, Inaolaji has had a chance to impact many students. The fact that they were the ones who nominated her is meaningful, Inaolaji said.

“To know that this recognition came through their nomination is especially touching. It reflects the mutual trust, growth and respect we’ve cultivated,” Inaolaji said. “It inspires me to continue being intentional in fostering environments where students feel seen, supported and equipped to thrive.”