Taibat Lawanson is a Professor of Management and Governance at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, where she leads the Pro-poor Development Research Cluster. She is also co-director at the University of Lagos Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development. She holds a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria.

Her research focuses on the interface of social complexities, urban realities and the quest for spatial justice. She is interested in how formal and informal systems can synthesize in African cities, and written or co-authored over 70 articles in academic and popular platforms. Taibat is a proud alumnus of the prestigious Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Academic Residency and is a pioneer World Social Science Fellow of the International (Social) Science Council.