Taibat Lawanson is a Professor of Urban Management and Governance at the University of Lagos, where she leads the Pro-Poor Development research cluster and the Urban Resilience Working Group. At the University of Lagos, she is also Co-Director of the Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development and Research Associate at the Institute for African and Diaspora studies.
Her research focuses on the interface of social complexities, urban realities and the pursuit of spatial justice in Africa. She is well known for her intersectoral approach which engages students, policy makers, civil society and local communities. She is a pioneer World Social Science Fellow of the International Social Science Council, a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Global Research Fellow of the Peace Research Institute Oslo and an alumna of the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Centre.