Cynthia Ezinne Ohaeri

Cynthia Ezinne Ohaeri graduated Valedictorian with a First-Class Honours degree in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Nigeria Nsukka, winning prestigious awards. With over six years of experience across global aviation and multinational energy industries, she has led impactful roles spanning petroleum engineering, solar project management, carbon efficiency modelling and air traffic management.

She is a recipient of the Mastercard Foundation and AfOx Linacre (Norman & Ivy Lloyd) Scholarships, reading for an MSc in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford. Cynthia made history as the first Nigerian at the Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. She is a member of Linacre College.

Elected Vice President of the Oxford University Africa Society (AfriSoc), she is deepening her leadership and impact by expanding access and opportunities for Africans at Oxford. For her, Oxford dreams are officially a reality.

Cynthia is the Founder and Societal Impact Director of ‘Nigerian Girl In STEM’, a non-profit foundation where she champions youth empowerment, access to education and STEM opportunities for girls from underserved communities. She is also Co-Founder and Project Manager at ‘Hello Dreams’, where she leads the development of Edu-Tech AI tools and advances sustainability solutions for corporate and individual clients. She also champions climate education, speaks on global platforms and volunteers as a researcher. Her publications on curbing gas flaring and decarbonizing aviation using hydrogen explore novel scientific innovations.

Her interdisciplinary research at Oxford combines her passion for policy, climate finance, economics, and environmental innovation, preparing her for long-term impact in global sustainability transitions. Cynthia’s work spans sustainable finance, energy policy, decarbonization, climate governance and enterprise innovation, positioning her to influence inclusive and context-sensitive sustainability solutions across Africa and beyond.

A firm believer in the currency of expressed excellence, she is committed to contributing her ingenuity globally through her work at Oxford. By connecting global innovation with local realities, she aims to champion the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, lead innovation in STEM, promote global energy access and security, drive sustainable finance and economic development through data, artificial intelligence, and predictive modelling.