Ruth Uwaifo Oyelere holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. She graduated First class Honors from the University of Ibadan. She is an Associate Professor of Economics and current chair of the Department of Economics and Business Management at Agnes Scott College.

Professor Oyelere's research interests fall into four main fields: development economics, labor and demographic economics, education economics and health economics. However, most of her current and past research lies at the intersection of two or more of these fields.

Dr Oyelere's past published research can be found in several leading journals. Her recently published joint research focused on estimating the impact of conflict on labor supply. Some questions explored through her individual and joint past research include: estimating the role of policy on changes in returns to education in Venezuela and Nigeria; precisely estimating the returns to education in Nigeria; investigating the determinants of immigrant homeownership and the role of networks during the great recession; delving into the question of if increases in children with limited English in public schools have any effect on performance of native students, and providing answers to if the level of development of an immigrant's home country matters for entrepreneurship in the U.S.

Some of the questions her current joint research projects are focused on include: first, estimating the impact of armed conflict on welfare outcomes in Nigeria. Second exploring the evolution of inequality in Nigeria and the determinants of changing inequality. Third, testing for a relationship between marriage market prospects and homeownership among the never married. Fourth, exploring the correlate of housing vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic and examining demographic heterogeneity.

She joined IZA as a Research Fellow in September 2007.