Patricia Kingori, a 28-year-old native of Kenya, has been given a full professorship at the University of Oxford, making her the institution’s youngest Black woman to do so thus far in its history.
Kingori is a sociologist who does extensive research on the ethical experiences that front-line employees have on a daily basis.
She was hired at Oxford’s Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities “in recognition of the quality and global impact of her research on academia and beyond,” the institution said, according to Quartz Africa.
Kingori has spent the last eight years at Oxford, where she has achieved a number of things. She had taught thousands of students, produced excellent publications, oversaw several DPhil candidates, and received numerous competitive financing grants.
Kingori’s trip had not been particularly easy before that. When she was awarded a Wellcome Doctoral Studentship to pay for her PhD at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, she had just given birth to her first child.
Before moving to Kenya with her family to conduct fieldwork, she had to apply for maternity leave for a year. Kingori, who was expecting her second child at the time, was forced to flee Kenya due to civil upheaval. After 10 months, she was able to return and complete her data collection with the assistance of two new supervisors.
After completing her doctorate, Kingori used a Wellcome Study Fellowship to conduct a postdoctoral study at the Ethox Centre at the University of Oxford. Kingori has since progressed from a research lecturer to an associate professor in under five years.
Jan Royall, the principal baroness of Oxford’s Somerville College, said Patricia had “moved many mountains and shattered many glass ceilings to secure this historic achievement.” “In the best Somerville tradition, she is a trailblazer and a woman of firsts. However, I am confident that others will follow where Patricia leads with such tenacity, unwavering good humour, and intellect.
