Mary Opeyemi Soetan

IGC FELLOW    |   Global Change Center

Ph.D. Student  •  Fish and Wildlife Conservation

Advisors : Dr. Emmanuel Frimpong and Dr. Holly Kindsvater

Research Interests: Fisheries conservation and management, the impact of climate change on aquatic ecosystems

marysoetan8@vt.edu  •  Twitter  •  ORCiD

Mary Soetan recieved her Bachelor's degree in Aquaculture and Fisheries Management from the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta and graduated among the top five in her department with a CPA of 4.31/5.0. Her interest in the field made her pursue a master's degree in order to make an impact in the Aquaculture and Fishery sector in Nigeria and the world at large.

Mary Soetan got the prestigious World Bank Scholarship to study MPhil Fisheries Science at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana where she graduated with distinctions. She is associated with several professional bodies, British Ecological Society, Fisheries Society of Nigeria, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Nigerian Women in Agriculture for Research Development and Atlantic International Research Centre, Portugal.

Studying fisheries science has been a pleasure for her, and she takes pride in my achievement so far. She has about  seven years of experience studying and conducting research in Aquaculture and Fisheries Science. Since the completion of her undergraduate education, she has been active in many research, laboratory work, and government. Her research interests are fisheries science, aquatic ecology, ecotoxicology, histopathology, and aquaculture.

Alongside her academic pursuit, she has been engaged in various community services. Mary Soetan is passionate about youth development and this led her to have the Mary Soetan Initiative, a non-profit organization that is geared towards inspiring young people towards leadership and excellence. She has volunteered in several non-governmental organizations which have developed her ability to work in teams to achieve a desired goal. Her good leadership skill has qualified her for some positions outside of academics. She was appointed the Media Liaison Officer by the Young African Women Congress Network Nigeria. She is also currently selected as a One Million Leaders Africa Fellow under the Nelis Global Project, Japan. In addition, she was selected in January, 2023 by the Young African Leaders Initiative to execute a Climate Literary and Action Project within my community.

Mary’s current Ph.D. research will take a socio-ecological approach to conserving fisheries resources. She hopes that the IGC program will help to enhance her skills in interdisciplinary research which would enable her to apply them for further research in the future.