To celebrate International Women’s Day 2024, the BES journals are excited to share a collection of blog posts showcasing the work of some of our new Associate Editors. In each post, our editors discuss their experiences in ecology, as well as what this year’s theme, ‘Inspire Inclusion‘, means to them.
Hello! I am glad to have this opportunity to wish all women around the world Happy International Women’s Day.
A bit about my background: I have a first degree in Botany (Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria), a Master’s degree in Biodiversity and Conservation (University of Leeds, United Kingdom), a PhD in Phylogenetic Ecology (University of Lausanne, Switzerland), and postdoctoral research experience in Vegetation Ecology (Masaryk University, Czechia) and Applied Ecology (University of Deusto, Spain).
What work do you do?
Currently, I hold a lectureship position at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, and also work as a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Alicante, Spain. Additionally, it has been rewarding to serve as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Ecology.
How did you get into ecology?
I got into ecology by chance – the right timing and placement in a great botany department. I had wanted to be a dentist, perhaps because I had a sweet tooth, and was inspired by the female dentists I encountered in dental clinics. There was a huge shift when I started delving into the fantastic world of plants. It was up the ecology ladder from there.
What is your best achievement?
I will leave it at two for now: (i) I have also produced doctors! It is a joy to see that some of my past undergraduate students are now PhD holders, and others outside this margin are accomplished career persons. (ii) An aspect of my work, which is integrative research in ecology where I merge important but rather disconnected fields, for example, ecotechnology.
What does ‘Inspire Inclusion’ mean to you?
The word “inspire” refers to the creation of the motivation or desire to be or do something. Inclusion simply refers to addition or incorporation into an existing entity, which could be a group or not. Put together, to inspire inclusion would invariably mean to catalyze the impetus for the addition of diverse elements into an ordinarily homogenous pool. This has become a recurrent theme with the International Women’s Day celebrations. As an African woman who understands the contrast of inclusion in many settings, I have described this from an informed position and some life experience. For instance, in a time as late as 2024, no nation’s political composition should constitute less than 40% women in power. Else, it gives off the characteristic of a powerless and misrepresented composition.
Who inspires you?
Powerful women that are trail blazers in their respective fields. I don’t have to know them personally, I just have to see them at the top heading corporations, government offices, essentially rendering expertize on the executive decision-making table. Also, women in male-dominated fields, such as the military, cockpit, and construction.
Discover more International Women’s Day 2024 content across the British Ecological Society on the BES website.
