Abidemi Babatunde Babalola ’11 ’15 has been named a recipient of the 2025 Dan David Prize

Rice University alumnus Abidemi Babatunde Babalola ’11 ’15 has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Dan David Prize for his groundbreaking research on pre-15th-century glass production in West Africa, which has reshaped understanding of the region’s technological and cultural history. Babalola’s work, centered on discoveries in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, demonstrates that advanced glassmaking techniques developed independently in the area, challenging long-held assumptions and placing West African societies at the forefront of early global innovation. Now leading archaeological efforts in Benin City for the British Museum, Babalola credits his time at Rice for shaping his research approach. “Tunde was a tireless researcher as a graduate student,” said Jeffrey Fleisher, professor and chair of anthropology at Rice. “The Dan David Prize is such a well-deserved award for Tunde and his remarkable research. It also serves as an inspiration for our current students.”