Success will come easier and faster as a young scientist if you are confident about your abilities, are not afraid to step out of your comfort zone, … - Francisca Oboh Ikuenobe

Collaborate. Go outside your comfort zone occasionally and choose your collaborators carefully. Your chances of obtaining competitive research grants are higher and your research and publication productivity will increase, too.

Ask for help when she needs to. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Instead, it is a chance to learn and advance. Also, she should be proud of every contribution she makes in life and should not allow others to define her success.

Several people, including members of my family, tried to dissuade me from studying geology because women were not supposed to be out in the bush or field as a profession.

My advice is to stay true to her passion while being open-minded to a variety of opportunities. Paleontology has proven to be a key player in the puzzle we know today as planet Earth, especially as fossils were among the first clues used for plate tectonics.