Ophelia Weeks, who served for more than 30 years on the faculty at Florida International University in Miami, was appointed the fourteenth president of the University of Liberia in Africa.
Professor Weeks is a neuroscientist who served as a professor of biology at Florida International University. There she was also the director of Quantifying Biology in the Classroom and was an affiliate faculty member of the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies. She retired from Florida International University in January.
Professor Weeks was born in Washington, D.C., when her Liberian parents were studying at Howard University. Her father served as the third president of the University of Liberia. When she takes office, she will be only the second woman to lead the university since its founding in 1951.