2019 OWSD PhD Fellows Announced

OWSD has awarded fellowships to 27 women from 16 countries, to pursue their PhDs in another developing country in the Global South. The new fellows are researching topics ranging from the impact of gold mining on soil in Cameroon, to 3D reconstruction of skeletal structures from 2D images based on deep learning technology, to  the effects of natural dyes and food preservatives on female reproductive cells. The 2019 fellows also include the first fellow in 20 years from Latin America and the Caribbean, Paola Rocabado Koya from Bolivia. Meet all of the 2019 OWSD PhD fellows below.  From L-R: Mariem Ahmed Baba, Mst Arjina Akter, Lilian Mbaisi Ang'Ang'O, Massogblé Marc Lucrèce Atindehou, Daba Thiogne Bakhoum From L-R: Rabia António Canda Zimba, Jeanne D'Arc Chinama Rusizana, Sayma Serine Chompa, Sabine Danala Danga, Nanou Emeline Dossa From L-R: , Juliana Mana Edor, Saga Elsayed Ibrahim Abdalla, Maureen Gumbo, Reitumetse Charlotte Nkali Khalanyane, Catherine Namayega From L-R: Anna Ritah Namuganga, Elisabeth Louise Ndjengue Mindang, Emily Chelangat Ngeno, Saureille Ngouana Moafor, Everlyne Achieng Otieno   From L-R: Lalaina Patricia Rasoamanana, Paola Adriana Rocabado Koya, Bénéwindé Edwige Sawadogo Ouedraogo, Vimbar Mireille Some, Joan Talibawo From L-R: Faith Chepkorir Too, Loriane Jennifer Ayo Ola Yanclo    Mariem Ahmed BabaMauritania Type of fellowship: Full-timeHost institute: Mohammadia School of Engineers, Morocco Research area: Engineering sciencesTitle of PhD project: Fault-tolerant diagnosis and control of an electric vehicle traction chain Mst Arjina Akter Bangladesh   Type of fellowship: Full-time Host institute: Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia    Research area: Agricultural sciences Title of PhD project: Application of biostimulants and their mechanisms of plant protection against fusarium wilt of banana Lilian Mbaisi Ang'Ang'O Kenya   Type of fellowship: Full-time Host institute: Rhodes University, South Africa   Research area: Medical and health sciences incl. neuroscience Title of PhD project: An omics study of a novel Microsporidian symbiont of the Anopheles mosquito and its mechanism of action in blocking Plasmodium within the major malaria vectors Massogblé Marc Lucrèce Atindehou Benin   Type of fellowship: Sandwich Host institute: University Joseph KI-ZERBO, Burkina Faso   Research area: Agricultural sciences Title of PhD project: Viability of populations of large old tree species in Benin Daba Thiogne Bakhoum Senegal   Type of fellowship: Full-time Host institute: University of Pretoria, South Africa   Research area: Physics Title of PhD project: Design and preparation of novel carbon-based nanoporous materials with high-energy and high-power densities and long cycle life for supercapacitor application Rabia António Canda Zimba Mozambique   Type of fellowship: Full-time Host institute: Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Brazil   Research area: Agricultural sciences Title of PhD project: Crude glycerin in feeding dairy goats Jeanne D'Arc Chinama Rusizana Rwanda   Type of fellowship: Full-time Host institute: Egerton University, Kenya   Research area: Agricultural sciences Title of PhD project: Development of in vitro regeneration systems of tamarillo (Cyphomandra betacea) as an alternative propagation method and assessment of genetic stability Sayma Serine Chompa Bangladesh   Type of fellowship: Full-time Host institute: Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia   Research area: Agricultural sciences Title of PhD project: Whole genome transcriptome analysis of Burkholderia glumae causing rice bacterial panicle blight Disease in Malaysia Sabine Danala Danga Cameroon   Type of fellowship: Sandwich Host institute: University of Johannesburg, South Africa   Research area: Astronomy, space and earth sciences Title of PhD project: Impact of gold mining on soil and sediments in Meiganga area (Adamaoua, Plateau, Cameroon) Nanou Emeline Dossa Benin   Type of fellowship: Full-time Host institute: University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa    Research area: Agricultural Sciences Title of PhD project: The genetic basis of resistance to Cowpea Aphid-Borne Mosaic Virus (CABMV) in Benin cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) landraces Juliana Mana Edor Ghana   Type of fellowship: Full-time Host institute: North-West University, South Africa   Research area: Chemical sciences Title of PhD project: Homo-2-Heterocat: enabling technologies for sustainable catalysis Saga Elsayed Ibrahim Abdalla Sudan   Type of fellowship: Full-time Host institute: University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa   Research area: Physics Title of PhD project: Modification of the electronic structure inducing tuned properties of 2D systems: A density functional theory study Maureen Gumbo Zimbabwe   Type of fellowship: Sandwich Host institute: University of Johannesburg, South Africa   Research area: Chemical sciences Title of PhD project: Design and synthesis of metal-organic frameworks with high catalytic activity for hydrogenation of carbon dioxide  Reitumetse Charlotte Nkali Khalanyane Lesotho   Type of fellowship: Full-time Host institute: University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa   Research area: Engineering sciences Title of PhD project: Power allocation for Digital Video Broadcasting Second Generation Terrestrial (DVB-T2) and fifth-generation (5G)  Coexistence Catherine Namayenga Uganda   Type of fellowship: Full-time Host institute: University of Cape Town, South Africa   Research area: Engineering sciences Title of PhD project: A deep learning algorithm for 3D reconstruction of skeletal structures from 2D bi-planar images Anna Ritah Namuganga Uganda   Type of fellowship: Sandwich Host institute: Stellenbosch University, South Africa   Research area: Medical and health sciences incl. neuroscience Title of PhD project: Host immune activation and exhaustion markers as predictors of active pulmonary tuberculosis Elisabeth Louise Ndjengue Mindang Cameroon   Type of fellowship: Sandwich Host institute: Rhodes University, South Africa    Research area: Biological systems and organisms Title of PhD project: In vitro study of a natural dye (Cameroonian red beetroot) and food preservative (Cameroonian Ocimum Gratissimum) on some female reproductive cells: cytotoxicity, phytochemical and antioxidant investigation  Emily Chelangat Ngeno Kenya   Type of fellowship: Sandwich Host institute: Makerere University, Uganda   Research area: Chemical sciences Title of PhD project: Application of water hyacinth and Moringa Oleifera for adsorption and phytosorption of endocrine-disrupting chemicals Saureille Ngouana Moafor Cameroon   Type of fellowship: Sandwich Host institute: University of South Africa, South Africa    Research area: Engineering sciences Title of PhD project: Encapsulation of mesoporous zeolite-supported Co with a carbon shell to obtain liquid fuel via Fisher Tropsch technology Everlyne Achieng Otieno  Kenya   Type of fellowship: Sandwich Host institute: The Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology, Tanzania   Research area: Structural, cell and molecular biology Title of PhD project: Comparative analysis of the global omics of Aspergillus flavus from biocontrol treated fields and untreated fields in Meru region Lalaina Patricia Rasoamanana Madagascar   Type of fellowship: Sandwich Host institute: University of Sao Paulo, Brazil   Research area: Agricultural sciences Title of PhD project: Nano Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NanoNIRS): discrimination and traceability of Dalbergia and Diospyros Paola Adriana Rocabado Koya Bolivia   Type of fellowship: Full-time Host institute: National University of Córdoba - CONICET, Argentina   Research area: Biological systems and organisms Title of PhD project: The contribution of soil fertility in predisposing Polylepis forests to ravines Bénéwindé Edwige Sawadogo Ouedraogo  Burkina Faso   Type of fellowship: Sandwich Host institute: Université Dan Dicko Dankoulodo de Maradi, Niger   Research area: Physics Title of PhD project: Experimental study and modeling of energy production by the gasification of biomass and mineral coal Vimbar Mireille Some Burkina Faso   Type of fellowship: Sandwich Host institute: International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya   Research area: Agricultural sciences Title of PhD project: Assessment of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus invasion’s impact on heartwater epidemiology in West Africa Joan Talibawo Uganda   Type of fellowship: Sandwich Host institute: University of Pretoria, South Africa    Research area: Physics Title of PhD project: Fabrication and characterization of TiO2 /Al2O3 composites deposited by electrophoretic method for dye-sensitized solar cell applications Faith Chepkorir Too Kenya   Type of fellowship: Full-time Host institute: University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa    Research area: Computing and information technology Title of PhD project: Achieving personalisation in educational technology: Using machine learning   Loriane Jennifer Ayo Ola Yanclo Benin   Type of fellowship: Full-time Host institute: University of Pretoria, South Africa    Research area: Agricultural sciences Title of PhD project: Impact of non-thermal postharvest treatment on minimally processed fruits: mango