By Amaechi Agbo

The past two years in the Department of Industrial Physics, ESUT, under the headship of Dr Chima Iheanyichukwu, were transformational.

Serving as the Head of the Department of Industrial Physics at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) from 2024 to 2026 has been both an absolute privilege and a deeply rewarding experience.

His stewardship follows a long foundation of service; between 2010 and 2024, he was privileged to work closely under three distinguished predecessors: Professor Ugwoke (2010–2015), Professor Onyia (2016–2020), and Professor Nnabuchi (2020–2024). The invaluable institutional insights gained from serving the academic leaders contributed immensely to the successes recorded during his two-year tenure.

Over the past two years, the Department underwent a massive transformation in its student demographics and physical infrastructure to support a rapidly expanding academic community.

Through deliberate repositioning, the undergraduate student population skyrocketed from fewer than 50 students in 2024 to over 200. Similarly, postgraduate enrollment witnessed a significant surge, growing from just 10 students to more than 50. To accommodate the burgeoning student population and fix urgent structural needs, the administration executed several infrastructure interventions;

Reconstructed over 80 classroom seats to support the growing student populace, made possible through the swift backing of the Faculty Dean.

Under Dr Chima, the department successfully reroofed a major section of the Postgraduate (PG) classroom following severe storm damage in April 2025. He aslo attracted a key sponsorship from distinguished alumnus Dr. Patrick Otiji to fully furnish the PG classroom, which was officially commissioned by the Vice-Chancellor on April 15, 2025.

He further attracted an alumni grant to completely rewire the Department and procure a brand-new Fireman Eco 4990ES generator, ensuring a reliable power supply for departmental activities.

Bridging the gap between rigorous classroom theory and industrial application was a central pillar of Chima’s 2024–2026 agenda. Through external funding, academic publishing, and landmark institutional partnerships, the Department’s visibility expanded exponentially. During the Year One student orientation on November 18, 2025, the Department secured a ₦1,000,000 donation from Dr. Patrick Otiji. The generous fund allocated ₦500,000 to cover the operational costs of hosting the programme, while the remaining ₦500,000 was distributed directly as welfare grants to the first 100 freshmen in attendance.

He facilitated and signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Abuja, and ESUT on November 13, 2025. The MoU gave birth to  building of a multi-billion naira project to ESUT—the establishment of the Advanced High Energy Cosmic Ray Laboratory by NASRDA in November 2025.

For the first time in the history of the department and in the South East region of the country, Dr Chima through hosted the 15th Annual Conference of the Astronomical Society of Nigeria (ASN) from November 11–15, 2025. This historic event made ESUT the first university in the entire Southeast region to host the conference.

This mileage was swiftly followed by securing funding to sponsor selected undergraduate and postgraduate students to attend the Nigerian Institute of Physics conference at Rivers State University (May 12–15, 2025), fully covering their transit, feeding, registration, and four nights of hotel accommodations.

Furthermore, the past twenty-four months witnessed three separate industrial excursions to give students practical workplace exposure. Additionally, under the new Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) guidelines, the Department authored two new textbooks and successfully reviewed four existing titles.

On September 1 2026, `Dr Chima handed over to his predecessor with renewed commitment to support his administration at all times and expressed gratitude to the university management, staff and student of the department for their support during his tenure.

“This successful journey would not have been possible without collective effort. I extend my profound gratitude to our visionary Vice-Chancellor for the privilege to serve under his watch. My deepest thanks also go to the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Gabriel Ugwu, and to my esteemed departmental colleagues—most notably the senior Professors who, despite differences in age brackets, extended immense patience, commitment, and wisdom to my administration. My dedication to this institution remains unchanged. I stand fully ready to assist the new leadership in any capacity required.

“It is my distinct honor to formally hand over the leadership of the Department of Industrial Physics to my successor, Dr. Nwobodo Anthonia. I wish her a remarkably successful, peaceful, and productive tenure as she takes the Department to even greater heights.”

DuriDr Chima’s stewardship as Department of Industrial Physics in summary:

1. Increased the total number of undergraduate students from less than 50 in 2024 to over 200 students and number of postgraduate students also increase from 10 to over 50.
2. Reconstruction of over 80 seats for student use due to increase in students’ populations with the support of the Dean.
3. Attracted a grant of five hundred thousand  naira only(500,000) during the orientation of year one students which was given to first 100 student that attended the orientation program on 18^th November 2025 and another 500,000 for hosting of the programe all donated by Dr Patrick Otiji whose is an alumnus of the Department.
4. Reroofed a section of Postgraduate (PG) class destroyed by rains in April 2025
5. Attracted the furnishing of PG class by an Alumnus of the Department (Dr Patrick Otiji) which was commission by Vice chancellor on 15^th April 2025.
6. Rewired the Department and bought a brand-new Fireman Eco 4990ES generator to power the Department with a grant attracted by another alumnus of the Department.
7. Attracted funds and sponsored some selected undergraduate and postgraduate student to attend Nigerian Institute of  Physics conference in River State University from 12^th to 15^th of May 2025 (this covers transportation, hotel accommodation for four nights, feeding and registration).
8. Attracted the signing of MOU between Nigerian Space Research Development Agency Abuja and ESUT on 13^th November,2025.
9. Hosted 15^th Annual Conference of Astronomical Society of Nigerian from 11^th to 15^th of November 2025.ESUT became the first university to host this conference in Southeast.
10. Attracted a multibillion project to ESUT which is the establishment of the Advanced High Energy Cosmic Ray Lab by Nigerian Space Research and Development Agency Abuja in November 2025.
11. Embarked on three different excursions to close the gap between classroom learning with the industry experience.
12. Under my watch two new books were written by the Department and four books reviewed according to CCMAS.
13. Facilitated partnerships with industry stakeholders, enhancing students’ practical exposure and employability.

These efforts have collectively contributed to the growth and visibility of the Department of Industrial Physics within and beyond the institution.