I am a Ph.D. student in Sociology at the University of Maryland. I am passionate about generating actionable insights at the intersection of demography, sexual and reproductive health, family dynamics, and child health. My research explores contraceptive decision-making among young adult men, the role of male kin and union formalization in child development, and fertility behaviours of women.
I have strong expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research methods, with hands-on experience analyzing large-scale datasets such as the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), and the JAMO study. I am proficient in data analysis softwares such as Stata, R, ATLAS.ti, and NVivo, which I use to integrate and interpret complex datasets. I am also familiar with Qualtrics for survey questionnaire design.

Beyond research, I am deeply committed to teaching, mentorship, and public engagement. I believe in making data-driven insights accessible to diverse audiences, including policymakers and communities most affected by the issues I study.

Areas of Interest

  • Demography
  • Sexual and Reproductive Health
  • Quantitative Methods
  • Qualitative Methods
  • Survey Research Methods

Degrees

  • B.Sc
    Sociology and Anthropology, University of Benin, Nigeria
  • M.A.
    Sociology, University of Essex, United Kingdom

Awards

  • African Excellence Scholarship - University of Essex, 2021
  • University of Maryland Dean's Fellowship, 2025
  • University of Maryland Faculty-Student Research Award (FSRA), 2025
  • Sonalde B. Desai Current-Use Research Fund, 2025

Conferences

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Room 4108, Parren Mitchell Art-Sociology Building
Department of Sociology
Email
opatrick [at] umd.edu
Office Hours
By Appointment