Stories: OWSD Early Career Fellows

I owe ‘what’, ‘who’ and ‘where’ I am in my career and professional practice today to OWSD because without the PHD Fellowship, all my achievements today would have been nothing but bleak.

I’ve been working on reptile and amphibian biodiversity for 10 years, and I know that there are still new species that need to be described.

The main problem in radiotherapy is that most cancer cells are resistant to radiation.

When I got my OWSD fellowship, it was an amazing feeling. Before getting the letter, my academic career was a dream, the letter made it possible.

What has surprised me is the way technology is emerging and affecting the current state of research. We are encountering a fourth industrial revolution that entails advances in computing power, quantum computing and artificial intelligence, which has already been shown to alter the way we conduct research.

I intend to disperse my achieved knowledge as one of the leading researchers in my country in the domain of microbial biotechnology, to support sustainable and prosperous agriculture.

Dr. Shammi's research will help to fill a crucial gap in the the global understanding of carbon dynamics and greenhouse gas emissions by providing data on one of the world’s largest river systems.

The OWSD award helped me not only to become the researcher I am today, but also to become a leader in research.

I have to think of something that can help us, that we can use based on resources that we have. The lack of things is the biggest inspiration in my life. I want to help my country.

By creating links between food research and industry, she hopes to enhance food security both in Ghana and in Africa as a whole.

Due to the war in Yemen, I had stopped studying for two years. This opportunity gave me the chance to complete my postgraduate studies.

My dear girls in science: be strong, inquisitive, curious, assertive, resilient, and focused. Go for gold!

" I can boldly declare that OWSD rewarded my brilliance thus giving me recognition and confidence in my professional arena and placed me in national and international scientific communities.”

Winning this award opened many doors for me. It has led to success in acquiring local funding.

If we do research, in addition to establishing connections with other researchers, we must also communicate and do a lot of outreach in order to share our science with the community.

What fascinated me is that only 5% of microorganisms are harmful, and the rest are beneficiary.

I want to be in the boardroom. I want to be part of the policy mechanism. I want my influence to go higher than the classroom.