From a young age, Dr. Efosa Idemudia, associate professor of business data analytics, was surrounded by people who supported and honored education, so it was only natural that he valued it as well.

“My love of math/numbers stems from my good fortune in having a grandfather, father, mother, uncles, and mentors who have a passion for education and who motivated me to take my education very seriously,” said Dr. Idemudia. “My exceptional mentors taught me the values of hard work, discipline, and determination. I decided to pursue an education relevant to business data analytics, computer science, and information systems because of my passion for math; I love playing with numbers.”

His love for education took Dr. Idemudia across the globe, earning his bachelor’s degree at the University of Benin in Nigeria before obtaining his MBA from the Helsinki School of Business and Economics in Finland. Later in the United States, Dr. Idemudia earned a second MBA at the University of Texas at El Paso. With hard work, determination, and discipline, he successfully completed his Ph.D. in management information systems at Texas Tech University in only three years and four months when the average time to complete the degree is five to six years.

Dr. Idemudia approaches each of his classes with a student-centered focus. He taught both graduate and undergraduate students as a visiting scholar in the Computer Information Systems (CIS) Department at Georgia State University, which the “U.S. News & World Report” ranked within the top ten CIS departments in the United States. In addition, Dr. Idemudia participated as a member of the University System of Georgia’s Academic Advisory Committee for Computer Disciplines for five years.

During the summer of 2014, he was selected for the Fulbright Scholar program. With his grant, Dr. Idemudia taught at the Lagos Business School in Nigeria. While there, he worked to strengthen relationships between ATU and universities in Africa to allow for greater recruitment efforts and student-exchange programs.

“One of the most satisfying aspects of my career is that it enables me to give back to communities,” he said. “Most people do not know that my family provides scholarships and academic prizes to students in Nigeria. Hence, I make sure I visit Nigeria every year to monitor the students who won past scholarships/awards and to ensure that these students take their studies seriously.”

“My favorite classes to teach are Business Data Analytics, Information Systems, and Information Technology,” said Dr. Idemudia. “However, out of the three, advanced Business Data Analytics courses are my favorite because I love math and getting my hands dirty by playing with datasets.”

Having recently published his first textbook, Dr. Idemudia plans to continue his scholarly work while serving on the editorial boards for ten academic journals in his field all while inspiring his students.

A full-time faculty member at Arkansas Tech University since 2012, student success and community service remain top priorities for Dr. Idemudia. Student evaluations describe the professor as “brilliant,” “passionate” and “caring.”

About his students, Dr. Idemudia said, “I love to teach students the skills and equip them with the tools to successfully gain knowledge and insights from data to make better decisions and gain competitive advantages.”