By Segun Adeyanju 

Urinrin Otite, a Nigerian from Delta State, has made history as the first graduate of Lehigh University’s groundbreaking Master of Science in Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience program in Pennsylvania, USA.

Otite’s achievement is a significant milestone in a field focused on predicting and managing the impact of natural disasters, epidemics, and social crises.

The program, launched under Lehigh’s Center for Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience in 2021, is designed to advance research in disaster preparedness and response.

A trailblazer with a strong academic foundation, Otite previously graduated with first-class honors in Civil Engineering from the University of Port Harcourt, earning a CGPA of 4.73 and recognition as the Best Graduating Student in the Faculty of Engineering.

Now a fourth-year PhD student at Lehigh, Otite completed her master’s with a stellar 3.83 GPA.

She described the experience as “an achievement I’ll cherish throughout my career,” emphasizing how it equipped her with critical skills in disaster risk management—a field still largely unexplored in Nigeria.

Her academic journey includes being selected in 2018 for the prestigious EducationUSA Opportunity Funds Program, securing multiple offers from top universities like Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Johns Hopkins, before choosing Lehigh for her doctoral research.

Currently, Otite’s research focuses on developing a probabilistic framework to assess energy infrastructure resilience against disasters like hurricanes and storm surges, integrating renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.

Looking ahead, she aims to merge her civil engineering expertise with catastrophe modeling to strengthen global disaster risk management strategies and promote resilient infrastructure development.

Otite’s groundbreaking success underscores not just her personal determination but also the potential for Nigerian scholars to lead in cutting-edge global research.