Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood is an academic-practitioner specialising in ocean governance and maritime security, with extensive experience in interdisciplinary research, teaching, and international policy engagement. She is a Lecturer in Sustainable Futures at the University of St Andrews in Scotland and a PEW Marine Fellow, with expertise in maritime governance and security, socio-ecological challenges, and practitioner-focused capacity development. Okafor-Yarwood serves as an advisor to international organisations, including as Women, Peace, and Maritime Security Advisor for West Africa with the UNODC Global Maritime Crime Programme, and as Vice Chair of the African & Adjacent Island States Ocean Decade Taskforce (UNESCO-IOC). Her work advances equitable, sustainable, and security-focused approaches to ocean governance, with a strong emphasis on policy impact and community-centred approaches to research. She holds a PhD in Leadership, Security, and Development from King’s College London.