We are delighted to report that our graduate, Dr Chioma Ngonadi, has been appointed Head of the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The institution is the first indigenous and first autonomous university in Nigeria.
Chioma completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge, funded by the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, focusing on archaeobotanical study of plant food production at Lejja, southeastern Nigeria.
Chioma has played a leading role in advancing archaeobotany in Nigeria and inspiring the next generation of Nigerian archaeologists in integrating archaeological science into their studies and research.
She has pioneered research on parenchyma tissues from West African archaeological contexts, critical for understanding the origins of yam and other tuber cultivation in the region and the spread of farming in the tropical forest zones.
She is also committed to engaging with and involving local communities in archaeological research and championing the inclusion of archaeology in schools.
Dr Ngonadi has won the ACLS - African Humanities Programme (AHP) and other grants, including the Emslie-Horniman Scholarship Fund and the British Federation of Women Graduate Grant. Chioma is one of the founding members of the European Society of Black Archaeologists and Allied (ESBAA).
We wish Chioma every success in her new role and value the important collaborative links she and her colleagues at Nsukka have fostered with the Department and McDonald Institute here in Cambridge.
