A very personal project wins Ph.D. student a Faculty Mentor Fellowship
It’s common for graduate students to feel as if their hard work goes unnoticed. That’s why Christopher Ihinegbu is so appreciative of being awarded a UC Irvine Faculty Mentor Fellowship (FMP) for the 2025-2026 academic year.
The FMP is designed to increase the number of students who complete their Ph.D. degree and successfully acquire a faculty appointment, according to the Graduate Division, whose award to Ihinegbu totals about $64,000.
“This fellowship makes me feel seen and recognized — not only for the work I’ve done, but for the potential ahead,” says the doctoral student in urban and environmental planning and policy. “It provides the time, support and platform to focus on the work that matters most to me.”
Ihinegbu is a fellow of the William Averette Anderson Fund (a.k.a. Bill Anderson Fund Fellows), which is a charitable organization that mitigates disasters through fellowship, mentorship and research with disaster-affected communities. Likewise, Ihinegbu’s FMP project is disaster-related.
“As part of the fellowship, I’ve developed an independent research project in collaboration with my faculty mentor, Doug Houston,” he says of the professor of urban planning & public policy. “Our work focuses on understanding the cross-over impacts of flood and wildfire mitigation behaviors in the wildland-urban interface.”
I am delighted to support Christopher’s professional development and research progress over this coming year as his mentor for this program,” Houston says. “His research focuses on the intersection of flood risk, environmental policy and climate justice.”
The professor reveals the project is quite personal to the doctoral student.
“This focus grows out of Christopher’s lived experiences with the human and ecosystem impacts of coastal flooding growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, where he witnessed first-hand the devastating impacts of water-borne diseases and the hardship faced by poor families without government relocation support or intervention programs,” Houston explains. “His work responds to the limitations of existing risk reduction and prevention programs narrowly focused on individual hazards by building a research agenda examining strategies that communities use to simultaneously prepare for and mitigate multiple, compounding hazards resulting from climate change.”
Currently the International Student Engagement Chair with Associated Graduate Students at UC Irvine, Ihinegbu plans to complete his Ph.D. in 2028 and then pursue faculty or research positions. He is hopeful the FMP will help make that a successful quest.
“Over the next year, I’ll have the opportunity to deepen my research, grow as an educator, and engage in mentorship centered on inclusive excellence, all while being supported in stepping away from work duties to invest in my academic and professional development fully,” he says. “I’m excited for what’s ahead and thankful for this opportunity to continue growing with purpose.”
– Matt Coker
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