Dr Nnenna Ike is teaching and research academic in the aviation program at Adelaide University, Australia. Her research interests span across airport operations, management and planning, emerging aviation technologies and automation such as advanced air mobility, and aviation safety with focus on human factors in aviation. Across these domains, she maintains a strong focus on improving system safety, human performance, and operational resilience in increasingly complex operational environments.
Recognised for her evidence-based approach to advancing safety, efficiency, and sustainability within the global aviation sector, Dr Ike is committed to shaping a more inclusive and resilient aviation system. In 2022, she completed a two-year international fellowship at Lund University, Sweden, contributing to a European Union-funded research project investigating how automation and emerging technologies shape resilience and safety in Air Traffic Management systems. This work continues to inform her research agenda.
Recently, Dr Ike conducted research with partners across airports based in Thailand to address airport sustainability and community engagement in large scale infrastructure projects. Notably, in 2026, she worked with a team of three female aviation colleagues to complete a landmark transnational study examining gender equity, inclusivity, and the attraction and retention of women in aviation academia across Australia and New Zealand. This never-before-done research reveal the aviation sector’s persistent gender imbalance and highlight how disciplinary characteristics, workforce pipeline challenges, and institutional structures intersect to produce entrenched inequities. Her work is contributing to important conversations about gender imbalance, diversity, and the future of the aviation workforce.
In her teaching role, Dr Ike has taught and mentored emerging aviation professionals at Griffith University and Adelaide University in Australia.
Dr Ike is a keen solo traveller and is fascinated by people, places, and culture.