A Kenyan-born academic has become the youngest black professor at the UK’s prestigious Oxford University, the educational institution says.

Patricia Kingori is also one of the youngest women to ever be awarded a full professorship in Oxford’s 925-year history.

Professor Kingori, a sociologist who specializes in the experiences of frontline health workers, expressed gratitude about the appointment.

“To have my body of work recognized in this way is a great honor, and I am deeply grateful to the many people who have inspired and supported me so far,” she said.

She has also advised several global organisations including the WHO, Save the Children, and Médecins Sans Frontières.

Ms. Kingori, who was raised on the Caribbean island of St Kitts according to a local news source, has been described as a “trailblazer” and a “woman of firsts” by the university’s Somerville College.

As of January of 2021, only 155 out of more than 23,000 university professors in the UK were black, according to official figures.