Nnadozie Izidor realises life-long ambition
A Nigerian student from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) has achieved his life-long dream of working in academia by being awarded a doctorate in company-community relations.
Nnadozie Izidor was awarded his PhD from UCLan this week, signalling the end of a long relationship with the University that began when he came to do his Masters degree in 2007.
For his PhD research, Nnadozie, who is now a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, looked at how multi-national companies engage with local communities in developing countries, focusing on his home country of Nigeria, and travelling there to complete his field work.
He said: “It’s a big issue in Nigeria. We see a lot of conflict between huge multi-national companies and local communities over social and environmental issues and I wanted to see how this relationship can be understood and better managed.”
"I’ve always wanted to make my mark in academia and now I’ve been given the chance. One of my works has already been published and three other journals have agreed to publish my work."
After completing his master's degree in business management in 2007, he worked for Blackpool automotive company Klarius as a marketing assistant before returning to University.
The 35-year-old has already dipped his toe in academia by lecturing part-time at UCLan alongside his PhD research.
He added: “My heart lies with how research inform teaching and learning and I knew I wanted to return to UCLan to complete my PhD.”
“I’ve always wanted to make my mark in academia and now I’ve been given the chance. One of my works has already been published and three other journals have agreed to publish my work. I am looking forward to taking my career forward in Nottingham.”