Francisca Nneka Okeke

Francisca Okeke is a Nigerian scientist and Professor of Physics at the University of Nigeria (Nsukka, Nigeria)^[1]

Scientific Research

Okeke has dedicated much of her career to studying the ionosphere and the “equatorial electrojet phenomenon.” Energized by the sun, the electrojet is a river of electrical current that traverses the globe eastward around the dip equator and causes the magnetic field at the dip equator to vary almost fives time more than anywhere else on the planet. (The dip or magnetic equator differs from the equator by a few degrees, as the Earth’s magnetic north pole is different from what we generally think of as the north pole.)

Okeke’s research on how solar activity in the ionosphere affects the Earth’s magnetic field could lead to a better understanding of climate change and help pinpoint sources of dramatic phenomena like tsunamis and earthquakes.^[2]

Prof. Okeke was the first female head of a department at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.^[3]

Recognition

She was named L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards Laureate for Africa in 2013^[4][5]

References