Oba is an ecologist and a researcher in the Division of Forest Ecosystem at the Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University. She earned her Ph.D. from the Hiroshima University Organization of the World-leading Innovative Graduate Education Programs, Program for Phoenix Leader Education Program for Renaissance from Radiation Disaster. Oba specializes in forest ecology and environmental science. Her research focuses on the interactions between different ecosystems and the relationships between organisms and the environment.