Dr. Sheila Ochugboju is Executive Director of the Alliance for Science at Cornell University. She is a futurist, international development expert and communication specialist who has been working in research science and international development for more than 15 years. She most recently served as Head of Strategic Communications for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). In addition to senior management roles in Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria, she has worked with international think tanks, various United Nations agencies, multilateral institutions and philanthropic organizations across Europe, Africa and Asia. Sheila is an inaugural TED Africa Fellow and co-founder of Africa Knows, a knowledge management and media consultancy. She earned a Bachelor of Science in medical biochemistry and a Ph.D. in plant biochemistry from the University of London and completed a post-doctoral research fellowship in baculovirus expression at the University of Oxford. Sheila, who has four grown children, currently resides in London and will be relocating to Ithaca, New York.