# Francisca Oboh Ikuenobe

Francisca Oboh-Ikuenobe (born August 1962) is a geologist from Ubiaja in Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State. She specialises in palynology and sedimentology, and is Professor of Geology in the Department of Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering, and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering and Computing, Missouri University of Science and Technology.

## Quotes

* Collaborate. Go outside your comfort zone occasionally and choose your collaborators carefully. Your chances of obtaining competitive research grants are higher and your research and publication productivity will increase, too.
** Prof Francisca give advise to her students in 2016.
* Success will come easier and faster as a young scientist if you are confident about your abilities, are not afraid to step out of your comfort zone, seek out a mentor, and collaborate on projects. This will improve the likelihood of obtaining competitive funding, and increasing research and publication productivity.
** Francisca give advice to young scientists in 2018.
* Unconscious bias that women are less qualified than men to study or teach STEM disciplines still exists.
** Francisca speak on gender bias in 2018.
* I loved mathematics and science-related subjects.
** Francisca expressed interest in science while in elementary school.
* Several people, including members of my family, tried to dissuade me from studying geology because women were not supposed to be out in the bush or field as a profession.
** Prof Francisca speak on challenges she faced as a geologist in 2018.
* The women who persevere go on to achieve great successes in their STEM careers.
** Francisca speak on Women in STEM in 2018.
* I am truly honored to have this exciting opportunity to serve the students, faculty, staff and alumni of our college.
** Francisca named as associate dean for academic affair in 2021.
* My advice is to stay true to her passion while being open-minded to a variety of opportunities. Paleontology has proven to be a key player in the puzzle we know today as planet Earth, especially as fossils were among the first clues used for plate tectonics.
** Francisca advice upcoming women paleontologists in 2021.
* Ask for help when she needs to. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Instead, it is a chance to learn and advance. Also, she should be proud of every contribution she makes in life and should not allow others to define her success.
** Francisca advice young women researchers in 2021.

## Quotes about Francisca Oboh Ikuenobe

* Throughout the nomination process for the Woman of the Year Award, Dr. Oboh-Ikuenobe was noted as a true role model for all current and future UMR students.
** Chancellor, Gary Thomas commended Francisca in 2004.
* I appreciate Dr. Oboh-Ikuenobe’s willingness to lead the department of geosciences and geological and petroleum engineering during this time of transition.
** Dr. Ian Ferguson, Vice provost and dean of the College of Engineering and Computing at Missouri S&T appreciate Prof Francisca in 2014.
* Her leadership, mentorship and expertise in her field, combined with her institutional knowledge make her an ideal candidate for interim chair.
** Dr Ian speak on Francisca attributes in 2014.
* Dr. Oboh-Ikuenobe is known for her passion for both undergraduate and graduate education and for her rich knowledge of academic affairs.
** Dr. Richard Wlezien, vice provost and CEC dean describe Francisca in 2021.
* She has been an outstanding interim, and I am pleased that she has accepted the permanent position.
** Dr Richard explain in 2021 how Oboh-Ikuenobe has served as interim for the past year.
* This leads to the lack of respect female instructors in STEM fields face from some students in and outside the classroom, and also from some colleagues.
* Over the years, I have counseled several young women who felt they were ‘not good enough’ to succeed.
* I often find out that some of these students were not encouraged or advised to pursue STEM subjects in high school, or to consider careers in STEM fields.
* Unlike their male colleagues, most female students and scientists lack the tenacity needed to succeed in STEM fields – they tend to give up easily if they fail at something.
* The women who persevere go on to achieve great successes in their STEM careers. “S&T has put many structures in place to ensure that women in STEM fields succeed.”
* I have been perceived sometimes as being too aggressive when doing my job – be it research, teaching, service or administrative duties.
* A male colleague would probably not be judged in the same light, and other women I know have experienced this.
* The perception that I have advanced in my career because of my gender and race is one that has also come to my attention.
* Resilience has kept me going, in addition to the support I have received from several male and female colleagues, students and my bosses.
* As program head for geology and geophysics (my department has two other programs, geological engineering and petroleum engineering) administrative duties consume roughly 25% of my time. I work closely with the department chair on issues related to my program. The remaining 75% is taken up by research, teaching, and service. I typically teach two courses per semester, including graduate courses that I teach every two years. Some of these courses involve field trips.
* I have a very active research group and it currently includes four Ph.D. students, one M.S. student, and four undergraduates conducting research in my lab. In addition to interacting with these students almost on a daily basis, we meet as a group every 1 or 2 weeks. There is also time spent advising undergraduate students excluding those in my research group, writing and reviewing proposals and manuscripts, communicating with research collaborators, attending proposal review panels, committee meetings on campus, outreach activities, etc. Between running the geology and geophysics program and my duties as a faculty member I have a very busy job.
* My husband is an independent consultant and owns his electrical engineering/telecommunications company. He travels to clients' locations for work and is away from home almost weekly but is very engaged with our children's activities, working remotely with them on homework. I also travel several times every year, sometimes traveling abroad for field work, workshops and meetings. We have survived raising a family and balancing our careers by paying other people - students, their spouses - to help us with babysitting and transporting them to after-school and other activities.
* These are some of the things that I wished I knew before starting an academic career:
Seek out a mentor: He/she does not have to be at the same institution or even in the same discipline. Set some time aside every week for yourself: Close your door and don't answer when someone knocks. Collaborate: Go outside your comfort zone occasionally and choose your collaborators carefully. Your chances of obtaining competitive research grants are higher and your research and publication productivity will increase, too. Be collegial but firm in your dealings with colleagues: Do not make assumptions about people. It's better to find out what they're thinking.
* The freedom to dictate my research focus and the flexibility to work from home especially when I have to take care of a sick child sent home from school. Working in academia can be 24/7 because I work at any time but I have cut back on working during weekends to devote more time to family activities. The fact that I can impart knowledge about geology to students is also an exciting part of my job.
* Managing my time efficiently in order to achieve the right balance between family and career. I have reduced my service commitments on campus and set personal time aside to work on research and family matters. There are certain times when I close my office door just to spend some personal time. Competing for funding resources is increasingly getting more difficult and I have now developed research collaborations in order to attract funding. Some students can be challenging and I have had to send some to counseling.
* I was hired in part because of my research background in sedimentology and palynology, strong communication skills, and the challenge to take on a new culture especially in small town America. The other reason I was hired (I found out later) was that I was relaxed and comfortable throughout the interview process.