King's College London

The International, Engagement & Service (IES) Directorate at King’s is central to the University’s mission to make the world a better place and maximise the impact that we can make on people, planet and society.

In this video interview, Professor ’Funmi Olonisakin, Vice President (International, Engagement & Service) discusses IES’s underlying philosophy, where we can see service and impact in action in King’s, and her career highlights.

A full text version of the interview, including additional questions not featured in the video, can be found below.

Can you summarise the work of IES and its role within King’s?

IES, until 3 years ago, existed as three separate portfolios. In integrating these three portfolios into what we now call ‘International, Engagement, and Service’, IES for short, it's given us an opportunity under the new strategy to think carefully about how we can connect across King’s, but also really make meaning of those connections with the rest of society.

Our underlying philosophy is a combination of appreciative inquiry and global problem solving. Simply put, how can we leverage what works to solve the fundamental problems facing us. Our strategy focuses on finding ways to deploy our research, education, and people, from researchers and academics to professional services and students, in service of society, at home and abroad. It’s about translating knowledge and ideas into meaningful actions by connecting our research directly to people and places.

Which teams fall under the Directorate?

Whilst we work with colleagues across King’s, the teams that have now come together to form IES include Global Engagement, King’s Sanctuary Programme, London Engagement, One King’s Impact, King’s Volunteering, and the Afe Babalola Centre for Transnational Education. Our work is really embedded in the university’s goal to pursue knowledge with purpose.

What role do partnerships play in IES’s work?

Partnerships are really significant. [As a university] we sometimes occupy a liminal space, but actually the people that make it real are the partners that we work with. And those partners cut across local communities. They include organisations, companies, industry, government. And the question we’re asking is: what is it that you think we can usefully do together? If we accumulated our knowledge, the research that we do and the talent, the people that we have, what do you think we can usefully do together to solve some of the most crucial problems of our times?

A great example of our work with local communities is My Life SC1ence, which opens our doors to young people from the local community to understand what health sciences, for example, is about, or what innovation is about in health sciences. They get to experience some of what we do first hand, and it opens their minds to the possibilities of being part of this in the future.

Internationally, we’re working with institutions like the Southern University of Science & Technology (SUSTech) in China to share expertise and best practices.

Where do we see service and impact in action at King’s?

The One King's Impact Fund is a great example of this. It supports new initiatives and the expansion of existing projects that align with King’s impact priorities.

By integrating research, education and people—including students, academics, and professional staff—it enables us to test how we work together to develop solutions to real issues.

Since it’s King’s Climate and Sustainability Month, an example of a project that the One King’s Impact Fund has supported is 'Root-to-Tip' which aims to increase nutritional intake and reduce food waste by developing recipes that use more of our plants (e.g. peels and stalks).

Applications for Round Two of the One King’s Impact Fund close on Monday 3 March, and I am really looking forward to the outcomes of that.

What has been the proudest moment of your career?

There are two moments that stand out for me. The first was the formal establishment of the African Leadership Centre in 2010 as a centre for training the next generation of African academics and policy decision makers. The second was being appointed by then UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, as one of seven global experts to review the UN Peacebuilding Architecture. Both are very proud moments for me.

What do you do to relax?

Escapism relaxes me – I watch a lot of movies. But I’m also a closet poet. I don't show it to anyone - I just write for my own satisfaction. I love that, and I love music and dancing.

What is your favourite film?

I have too many favourites. But I would say, The Godfather would probably count. But there are also a couple of Nigerian movies that have really grabbed my attention. Of late, it's Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, and since it's Africa Week and it's also International Women's Day that week, we're showcasing it on Friday 7 March.

What advice would you give your younger self?

If I could give my younger self a piece of advice, I think it would be to trust my own dreams and the vision that I had of the world. I spent too much time trying to be a perfect academic and too little time building the right kinds of communities to deliver impact. Be authentic, be true to yourself in terms of the change you want your research and education to make in the world, and be authentic about how you go about making change.