Home | About | Grants & Scholarships | Events | Digital Repository |
Apply

Author: Pauline Achoka

RSIF measures to ensure implementation continuity and student support during the COVID-19 pandemic

Posted on by Pauline Achoka

The entire higher education, science and technology community has been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. The RSIF Regional Coordination Unit’s response has been enabled by a closer engagement with students and the faculty members and informed by a mix of surveys, consultations, and adoption of best practices to support clients during the COVID-19 period. The response has been across our  operational areas, including PhD student support, research and innovation projects; and university capacity building.

A. Student Support

When COVID-19 was declared an international pandemic in March 2020, 12 of 15 RSIF Cohort I scholars were doing their international sandwich programme in Korea and USA, while 67 RSIF cohort II scholars had just accepted their scholarships and were due to travel to the 11 RSIF African Host Universities to start their doctoral studies. All 11 AHUs were subsequently closed, and students were forced to engage from distance. Like other actors in the higher education sector, RSIF has had to respond to the rapidly evolving context of university closures, travel restrictions and lockdowns. Fortunately, university staff were able to continue to engage with PhD students and they have focused the time to work with supervisors and other staff on theory, literature and writing. Cohort 2 students have taken advantage of this time to work with supervisors to register and develop their research proposals. For cohort two students, students have struggled with access to laboratories and equipment for which access has been limited.

icipe, RSIF’s RCU has provided the following support to RSIF Students:

  1. Support for registration: all 67 students were supported to register from distance by working with AHU contact persons, faculty and administrators.
  2. On-line orientation and support: The student orientation training for the 67 RSIF Cohort II students were successfully implemented online with all students attending. The other trainings for students were all reviewed and revised for online delivery.
  3. Continuous online learning support: The scholars were provided with online training and coaching for their academic writing, empowering them to continue writing their proposals while they waited to travel to their AHUs. Students worked towards identifying research topics, supervisors, and developing research proposals from distance with online support. icipe remained open during the pandemic to ensure continuous support to students and other programs. An online briefing session was held with all scholars and information shared about the COVID-19 situation to confirm that their scholarships would continue.
  4. Training on use of e-resources: All students from cohort 1 and Cohort 2 were trained on access to e-resources and how to access and evaluate scholarly information resources; information resource search strategies; available open access resources including research4life; innovative solutions used in scholarly research writing; and to gain practical skills on Mendeley as a reference management and citation tool.
  5. Psycho-social support and self-study from home: Recognising the challenges posed by the Pandemic to students and their families, a series of webinars were organised with some focusing on how to deal with mental health for academics and sharing coping strategies.
  6. Evaluation of student needs: To support the planning and design of online support to students, a number of surveys were undertaken to guide implementation. These were used to prepare online support and training workshops.


“During the COVID-19 lockdown, it has become far more challenging to balance academics with being a full-time mother. Finding the time and space to read, think deeply, and write is difficult, to say the least. Recently, I had to give an online presentation of my research and found it very hard to concentrate and do well with my daughter demanding my full attention in the background… I change hats between mom and researcher throughout the day, giving her my full attention during playtime, and taking advantage of her nap time and early bedtime for four hours of uninterrupted research time.” (RSIF Cohort I scholar)


Other relevant publications:
– Studying abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Experiences of Three African Women PhD Students.
– A year of great promise, anxiety, lost opportunities, University World News

 

B. RSIF Research and Innovation Grants

The PASET EB approved the award of 14 Research and Innovations Grant projects in May 29,2020 in the midst of the global pandemic and increasing measures by governments to contain the spread of the virus. Despite the temporary closure of the 11 AHUs, the RCU was able to engage team members of the successful projects to provide online support to facilitate the grant award process. Virtual workshops were held in June 29 and 30, 2020 to provide project teams with support to revise their project documents to meet the requirements of RSIF and the overall objectives of the grants. The workshops were each attended by over 20 university staff including officers from technology transfer officers for the participating universities. Further, the RCU provided teams with one-on -one technical support virtually to help them complete their grant project documents i.e (proposals, budgets, workplans and result matrices) and coordinated the signing of Project Grant Agreements to finalize the formal contracting process.

The RCU has designed a technical assistance plan to provide support virtually to project teams to ensure regular engagement with project teams. The RCU will also continue to monitor the impact of the pandemic on implementation of their activities.

C. University Capacity Building

Capacity building activities are aimed at preparing PhD scholars to undertake quality PhD research for successful completion of the doctoral program, and to enhance post-PhD employability and a successful future career in academia, research, and innovation. The activities also support faculty to enhance their training delivery. To help universities respond to COVID-19 icipe has provided:

  1. Linked all 11 AHUs to two training workshop on ‘The use of Online Educational Resources in Higher Education’ and on ‘Online Educational Resources as a Response to the COVID-19 Crisis’ co-organized by EPFL (Switzerland) and UM6P (Morocco): In partnership with the University Mohammed VI (UM6P), RSIF AHUs have received training on the two topics above and accessed numerous resources and training courses in the form of line materials. Two webinars were organized focused on higher education and COVID and on the use of online resources including explaining processes to train/support professors interested in integrating MOOCs or OER into their existing courses and to train on key concepts linked to integrating OER, including pedagogical ‘grain’ (block), pedagogical scenario (lesson plan) and learning objectives.
  2. Training on ‘Helping Faculty Deliver their Courses Online during the COVID-19 Crisis’: An online teaching webinar organized by RSIF on 17th June: “An RSIF Solution Session: Continue Teaching Your Course Online during the Covid-19 Crisis” with Dale Johnson, Director of Digital Innovation at Arizona State University . The objective of the webinar was to provide African University faculty and lecturers with some basic knowledge to make the rapid change from classroom to online teaching during the time of Covid-19 to ensure the continuation of learning. Approximately 80 university faculty from East, West and Southern Africa attended, including participants from nine AHUs.
  3. Access to online resources and publications: RSIF is providing access to 15,000 online resources including linking to new resources that have become freely available during the time of COVID-19. A training was organized for staff and scholars on how to use e-resources.
  4. Videoconferencing facilities for AHUs: RSIF is in the process of purchasing a set of video conferencing facilities for each of the 11 African Host Universities.
  5. Strengthening university innovation and delivery: RSIF identified staff of the 11 AHUs to participate in a training with the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on COVID-19 and 3D printer assembly as well as printing of face masks, face shields and respirator parts in April 2020. The training involved a total of eight sessions and was attended by staff of all the eleven universities. Universities were able to learn practically how to print various PPEs and supplied these to hospitals and to the public.

D. Next steps and way forward

As we look ahead, we continue to work with students and supervisors to develop timetables that mitigate delays in research and graduation timeframes, optimizing online interaction and work. While there are some positive consequences in terms of quick adoption of online tools during the pandemic, RSIF recognizes the challenges its scholars face during the COVID-19 pandemic. The RCU is providing extra support (e.g., close communication, a mental health webinar) to help them complete their outstanding research and data analysis and return home.  The 82 RSIF scholars are being trained to be part of the rising tide of African science. With their innate talent and innovativeness and the knowledge, skills, and networks gained during their doctoral studies, they will contribute to advancing science, reducing gender gaps in STEM research, and, ultimately, socio-economic transformation in Africa.

 

 

 

Her Journey to the PhD: Petronille Dusingizimana

Posted on by Pauline Achoka

Ms. Petronille Dusingizimana comes from Rwanda and is pursuing her PhD in climate change, bioversity and sustainable agriculture at the University Felix Houphouët-Boigny in Cote D’ Ivoire. She narrates her story about becoming a RSIF PhD .

I have master’s degree in climate change adaptation, and a bachelor of science degree (BSc) in molecular biology and biotechnology. Throughout my studies and other experiences, I have gathered knowledge and skills in biological science, agriculture and climate change research. I therefore chose my research topic in the same thematic area.
I decided to pursue a PhD because I am interested in and have a passion for a research-based career and I want to explore innovation in the field of agriculture. I think a PhD provides an opportunity to improve my research, management, and other related skills and to enable me to understand and solve problems, in relation to Africa’s needs in agriculture and climate change, for sustainable development.

The Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) – Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) sparked my interest because it is an Africa-led solution to solving African challenges. As a young African, I felt that being part of this program would be a great honor as it would give me an opportunity to strengthen my knowledge and skills, and use them to contribute to building the Africa we want, a self-reliant Africa.
A big percentage of Africa’s economy and livelihoods depend on a rain-fed agriculture system, which is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Failure to factor climate change into long term planning would leave countries across sub Saharan Africa vulnerable to impacts of climate change.

My vision is that the results from my research will support decision making and planning towards climate resilient agricultural and socio economic development in Rwanda. I hope that my research will be used as a prototype for other sub-Saharan African countries, in order to increase agriculture resilience and boost African economy in general. I am convinced that the skills and knowledge I will get through my PhD training in climate change and Biodiversity will assist me to have the “standing” to be a critical thinker and innovator in finding solutions to agriculture, environment conservation, and climate change issues. I also hope to identify new partners that will support my future research and capacity building efforts.

When COVID-19 cases were first reported in Rwanda, I had already quit my job in anticipation to start my PhD program; It was just a week to my travelling day. From then, airports closed; and the whole country went under lockdown. I was not quite sure what to expect or what the next day would hold, which caused me anxiety. I managed this period and anxiety by focusing on controlling what I could and released what I could not. I used the extra time to learn new and different things (academic and social) online. Furthermore, I got to spend time with my family. All this helped me to cope with that stressful period.

I have a family which I belong to. I have prepared them for the commitment and asked for their support for the duration of my PhD program. Work planning in time and time management will help me to balance the two (my family and my studies).

During my PhD program, I expect some challenges. However, I believe these I will overcome and finish my PhD successfully.

Jean Baptiste Habinshuti’s experience during COVID-19 Crisis

Posted on by Pauline Achoka

I am on sandwich program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), USA. The first time that I heard about the outbreak of Covid-19 was in December 2019. It was spreading from Wuhan City, in Hubei Province of China. I did not think that it would spread to this level. I thought, it would remain in China, and certainly not that we would be in one of the largest ever global pandemics in history with the whole world on lockdown, thousands of deaths reported, and the world’s economy struggling.

I am scared, and my daily life is affected. We have been watching and reading news from different sources, including social media, to get updates but in all the cases, the number of deaths and new cases have been increasing at a tremendous rate- there is so much fear. Preventive measures such as social distancing and wearing face masks, hand washing with soap and use of sanitizers, have been declared by WHO and adopted by different countries all over the world.

WPI was closed since 15th March 2020 and there is no more movement allowed in the campus. As foreign students, living in one apartment, to limit our exposure to the disease, we adopted shopping strategies such as purchasing foodstuffs in bulk and keeping them in our fridge, and even purchasing some online. We only go outside to shop when our supplies are low.

As the pandemic spreads, we have worries about our families in Africa and they are also worried about us. We are trying to keep regularly updated on the pandemic and to call our families regularly to raise their awareness and help them to understand the importance of implementing and following the government safety measure.

USA is one of the most affected countries in both confirmed cases and mortality, something that caused more fear to us and our families.  Consequently, staying indoors is the only way to avoid being exposed to the virus. Boredom and psychological instability resulting from doing the same thing every-day and being away from the family members is affecting us. Sometimes, I wake up feeling tired and having a headache, probably due to boredom and uncertainties about our status. We have became so concerned about our roommates that when anyone opens the door, we rush to ask where he/she is going.

As PhD a student, most of my activities revolve around academics but I also get involved in social activities and services, such as Sunday prayer meetings, church services, visiting family and friends, having conversations, etc.  All the aspects of my life have been affected by COVID-19.

In March 2020 we had a trip to visit the World Bank at Washington as Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) students in USA. During the travel we were afraid but fortunately we all arrived back safe.

As far as our research work is concerned, I had done some of the preliminary experiments before the pandemic paralyzed the activities in our University. When the university was closed in March, access to University facilities became impossible, with exception of some remote access. We continued to hold regular meetings with our supervisors to regularly review the slow-moving research progress. Our focus has been on writing. We remain with access to some of the school software on the university network.

I have a lot of work to do, as recommended by our advisors, I am trying to maximize the work on literature part of my thesis and when the things are normalized, most of my time will be focused on laboratory work. I am committed to working hard as I can and see the possibilities of meeting the planned timeline to achieve my goals and objectives on time. The only big challenge is about my research samples which remain detained in France because they contain radioactive material.

We need to get as much support as possible from the University to quickly access facilities, resources, and tools, as well as reviews of our work, to enable us to achieve this on time. We appreciate the support from icipe (RSIF Regional Co-ordination Unit), which will also be critical to ensure that we finish on time in this trying situation.

Call for Applications from Universities/Africa Centers of Excellence in sub-Saharan Africa to become PASET-RSIF Host Universities

Posted on by Pauline Achoka

Opening date: 25th September 2020
Closing date for applications: 23rd November 2020

The Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) – Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) requests applications from Universities & Africa Centers of Excellence in sub-Saharan Africa to join the program as RSIF African Host Universities.

The Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET), is an initiative by African governments to address fundamental gaps in skills and knowledge necessary for long-term, sustained economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). PASET was launched in 2013 by the governments of Senegal, Ethiopia and Rwanda, while the governments of Kenya and Ivory Coast have since joined the partnership. PASET established a Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) to contribute towards the training of a critical mass of PhD and post-doctoral candidates, and support research and innovation in the following priority thematic areas: ICTs including big data and artificial intelligence; food security and agribusiness; minerals, mining and materials engineering; energy including renewables; and climate change. RSIF focuses on transformative technologies that have a far-reaching positive impact on society. It is currently funded by contributions from African governments, the World Bank and the Government of Korea; and implemented by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in Nairobi, Kenya, as the RSIF Regional Coordination Unit (RCU-icipe).

The RSIF is implemented through competitively-selected universities in SSA (‘RSIF African Host Universities’) that offer a PhD program in one of the priority thematic areas. Currently, there are 11 African Host Universities in the RSIF program.

African Host Universities train PhD students on full RSIF Scholarships and can apply for RSIF Research and Innovation Grants. African Host Universities also gain access to RSIF capacity building opportunities including student and faculty training, graduate program management, research management, ICT, and innovation hub development, and library strengthening. African Host Universities can also benefit from international collaboration with world-class institutions and universities outside the region to improve curricula, teaching and research methods, develop joint R&D and innovation projects, and arrange exchange visits. Through the RSIF, African Host Universities gain world-wide recognition as premier institutions for PhD programs in an ASET priority thematic area.

  • The RSIF Regional Coordination Unit is seeking a further 4 Universities/PhD programs to join the RSIF program.
  • Applications are welcome from existing RSIF African Host Universities and invited World Bank-funded Africa Centers of Excellence.
  • Applications must focus on a PhD program at the university/center in one of the following eligible thematic areas: (1) ICTs including big data and artificial intelligence, (2) Food Security and agribusiness, (3) Energy including renewables, and (4) Climate change.
  • Invited Africa Centers of Excellence are eligible to make one application in their relevant area.
  • Existing African Host Universities are eligible to make one application in each of the eligible thematic areas except the area for which they were previously selected.
  • Announcement of final selection: February-March 2021

Further information and how to apply:
Information for Applicants (English)
Information for Applicants (French) [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

My Experience as an RSIF PhD Scholar at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology by Waema Maxwell Wambua

Posted on by Pauline Achoka

When I received the official invitation for PhD sandwich placement at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), I was not sure what to expect. After arriving in KIST, I quickly settled in a dormitory which is a few meters from the laboratories. The room is well furnished, well maintained and very comfortable with amazing views out on to the greenery by a forest. The common kitchen and laundry area are all of adequate size for the dormitory occupants.

Life in Seoul is very different from what I have experienced before as the culture is unfamiliar. It was a big challenge at first as I experienced culture shock during my first month here! However, I also enjoy adventures and the unknown, so I loved the new experience of a different culture, academic system, meeting new people from all over the world, eating a different cuisine- Kimchi, Bibimbab, Samgyetang, Mandusgug (the language remains a struggle but I am learning!). Interestingly, Koreans have stereotypes about foreigners just as much as we have stereotypes about them.

My PhD research is on the development of point of care diagnostic tests for infectious diseases. I am working on simultaneous detection of respiratory viruses using a controlled release system of thermos-responsive hydrogel microparticles based multiplex real time RT qPCR platform. My hypothesis is driven by the fact that despite lessons learned and progress made from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak and the current coronavirus pandemic that causes COVID-19, the influx of respiratory viral infections are showing similar symptoms to other existing diseases, making it difficult to diagnose symptomatically. Confirmation and repeated diagnosis cause a lot of social anxiety. Therefore, what is needed are rapid and precise multi-diagnostic methods for various infectious diseases with similar symptoms. Such knowledge will play an important role in helping Africa respond to future epidemics and pandemics.

The gold standard method for RNA detection is Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) whereby the mild temperature of RT often causes unexpected binding between primers and random genes. This one-step RT-qPCR leads to a very low multiplicity. This limitation calls for diagnostic technology that controls the release of PCR elements by storing PCR primers inside thermo-responsive polymer capsules, separating them from the RT reaction to prevent adverse side reactions. So far, I have fabricated thermo- responsive primers immobilized networks by encapsulating the PCR primers into low melting point agarose nano-capsules and then introduced them into hydrogel microparticles immobilized with RT primers. I am comparing the efficiency of the qPCR conventional assay with this newly developed tPIN assay.

I have found KIST an ideal place to undertake my research. KIST enjoys a global reputation for its high-quality and modern scientific research including in the biology sciences. Specifically, their robust academic atmosphere and state of the art lab facilities are excellent. With all these, KIST stands to fulfill my aspiration to become a scientist with important achievements in the future.

As a PhD scholar, I have learned the need to set goals and work to achieve them. I am working to finish my PhD on time and fully cooperate with my supervisors to make this a reality.
I am pleased to be in Korea. The Korean people are very helpful to those who do not speak their local language. Several times when I was lost in Seoul, the people especially the young who understand English would come up to me offering to help. Even though there is a language barrier, my experience is that South Korean people will do their best to help you in any way that they can. However, most of the people within KIST are fluent in English, and certainly within the laboratory where I work. Generally, my experience has been great so far and I recommend Korea to anyone wishing to travel there for work or leisure. You will enjoy its wonderful people, places and environment.

Promoting Doctoral Training for Prosperity in Africa

Posted on by Pauline Achoka

Eusebius J. Mukhwana, PhD

Director General and CEO

Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA)

Nairobi, Kenya

After decades of decline, African higher education is now arguably in a new era of revival. Initially, our higher education systems were set up using the colonial models of each country in the 1950s and 60s. This model which was largely funded by the Government became unsustainable and was struggling to fund and sustain itself. With the advent of liberalization, since the 1980s families and students took over the bigger role of funding higher education in Africa. This transition though painful, has started to bear fruits. Although many people argue that it has limited access to education by the poor and the disadvantaged populations as well as compromised quality. With the prevalence of knowledge economy discourse, national governments in Africa and their development partners have increasingly aligned higher education with poverty reduction plans and strategies. Further, research capacity has become a critical development issue; and widening participation to doctoral education is seen as an instrument for enhancing this capacity.

A Doctoral degree is the pinnacle of educational attainment and the most respected of all higher educational training. The degree certifies the holder as an independent researcher, an expert with extensive knowledge about the chosen field of study, and a professional with a wide range of transferable skills. As such, doctoral graduates have the capacity and capability to make important contributions to knowledge and drive change in society. Unfortunately, in Africa, the role of doctoral graduates in the country’s economic development has been minimal owing to a complex array of social-economic and political realities. But things are changing; and both the appreciation of their role and the number of doctoral students has been rising in many African countries over the last two decades.

Doctoral graduates represent accumulated human capital, which is a valuable human resource that is useful for making significant contributions to a country’s development. This usually occurs through their capability to enhance the knowledge of others, performing various roles that benefit society, applying acquired skills to research that solves society’s challenges, improving the performance of work colleagues and developing new and novel products. Africa has been slow in benefitting from doctoral graduates because of several challenges. These include:

  1. The Continent lacks good facilities and other resources for training doctoral students;
  2. Limited support and opportunities for doctoral graduates within the formal and largely informal sectors of our economy leading to underutilization of PhD graduates’ expertise;
  3. Poor supervision skills for doctoral students;
  4. Old, outdated and tortuous processes of managing the doctoral training programs; and
  5. Doctoral students that are studying, struggling to work and pay for their studies and families.

Research output in Africa remains quite low compared to the rest of the world. Most of the research done by African doctoral graduates is basic and largely academic; and does not benefit many societies. This has led to lower appreciation of these important members of our society. We need national strategies for promoting the work of doctoral students; and there is also increasing need for them to tap into national research priorities. In the absence of such priorities, many “shoot in the dark: thereby compromising their impacts and the usefulness of their research work.

Funding of doctoral research is also a major challenge in many countries in Africa. Often there is reliance on external donors, which means that research priorities may not be very well aligned to national needs and funding remains fragmented and for short periods. And funds even when available are scattered in different silos which are unknown and even unavailable to those in need. This has led to low uptake of funds available in government and even private agencies, leading to failure to tap into a rich pool of creative initiatives and research that could lead to economic transformation of the continent. There is an abysmal dearth of knowledge on how to use research findings by researchers in Africa to catalyze innovation and to make life easier or mitigate everyday life problems of poor rural and urban Africans. Related to this is the issue of Lack of protection of intellectual Property Rights. Most players in the Higher Education sector have no idea of how to get their products evaluated and secured through patents.  Many of the students enrolled in post graduate (masters and doctoral) training do not complete their studies in time; leading to exceptionally low completion rates and high dropout rates. Studies by the Author in Kenya showed that only about 70% of master’s and 50% of doctoral students finish their studies at all in Kenya. Over 80% of these students complete after the stipulated time of two years (for masters) and three years (for doctorate). This situation is largely reproduced across many countries in Africa. These delays and high drop out rate has been attributed to student, supervision and university management issues that have been well discussed in another paper.

Several things can be done to improve the impact of doctoral training and Research in Africa.

  1. There is need to address issues that are causing high dropout rates and low completion rates for doctoral students at African universities. These include matching carefully students with their supervisors, minimizing bureaucracies in student management, better funding of students and establishing postgraduate student support centers;
  2. There is need for a paradigm shift from doing routine research for the sake of it – to more targeted research which addresses the needs of the communities. Research training and research studies should be strategic and aligned to the needs of the country;
  • There is need align research to the needs of the private sector by enhancing the engagement of academia and industry, and also to the needs of governments. This ‘triple-helix’ model is critical for strengthening the profitability of knowledge leading to economic growth.
  1. Africa needs a research commercialization policy that will help in research uptake and ensure that research ideas move up the value chain and create wealth for the continent;
  2. Universities need to conduct research that informs policy, law and national dialogue in order to catalyze national development;
  3. There is need to coordinate policies and legislation to support research as well as strengthen Government-private sector linkages to support doctoral student funding for improved quality of training;
  • Funding from international partners should be appraised to ensure that they address the local needs and is not tied to the priorities of other countries/funding bodies;
  • The research must also get to the end user. There is need to device ways that can disseminate research to ensure that it reaches the end users. Universities should lead the way in using research outputs by directly engaging with communities. Each university needs to establish a knowledge transfer center which is easily accessible to the end users;
  1. As more resources are put in research, renown Professors should get more involved in research work, demonstrate academic  leadership and mentor upcoming scholars;
  2. The commercialization of research and technology transfer needs support after publication. A lot of work needs to be done in publicity, patenting and copy writing;
  3. Linkages with TVET and Industry Institutions play a crucial role in producing practical human resource for the economy. Universities should work with TVET institutions and industry to support fabrication and commercialization of their research products;

These issues have led to their limited involvement in national development.

In response to the findings, three initiatives have been proposed to capitalize on the potential of PhD graduates. Firstly, it is vital for national and regional strategies for doctoral education to include a policy, plan, and budget. Secondly, support and opportunities for PhD graduates, need to be actualized through appropriate remuneration, engagement schemes and greater collaboration between PhD graduates and key stakeholder groups to foster participation; thirdly: it is critical to engage women to further their careers at the highest levels, in order to access a largely missing part of our population in science.

About the Author:

Dr. Eusebius J. Mukhwana is the Director General and CEO of the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA); and a stronger believer in the abilities of Africa to industrialize and create prosperity for all its people. This article was written as a contribution to the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund Weekly Newsletter

Life, study and research at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST): RSIF PhD scholar Sylvia Wairimu Maina’s story

Posted on by Pauline Achoka

My research title is “Deciphering Biosynthesis of Bioactive compounds in African Cabbage (Cleome gynandra)”. I am working on this local orphan crop that is used both as a vegetable and a medicinal plant in promoting human and animal health. I will be profiling different accessions to determine the levels of glucosinolate secondary metabolites compounds present.  Furthermore, I will evaluate the biological activity and applicability of extracts from the plants. The research results will promote useful neglected crops nutritionally and pharmacologically. The research is relevant in many parts of Kenya and across the continent, which has rich and diverse underutilized crops with great potential in food security and health. I am enrolled for my PhD at the Sokoine University of Agriculture, Africa Center of Excellence for Infectious Diseases of Humans & Animals in Southern & Eastern Africa (SACIDS), Tanzania. I am funded through the PASET RSIF Program. The prestigious RSIF scholarship covers the full cost of my PhD studies at Sokoine University and provides for my internship, including travel, at KIST.

Being an RSIF student has been both a challenging and rewarding experience for me. It has given me the opportunity to explore more than just my research topic objectives; and this has impacted a very significant amount of personal development and learning. I appreciated the chance to share my story and research interest with an international audience at the 5th PASET Forum in Kigali, Rwanda in 2019. The RSIF programme has also given me the opportunity to be mentored, to create connections with peers, to build worthwhile networks, to meet and hear from inspirational people with the focus of developing personal and professional goals.

My journey as an RSIF PhD scholar and female African scientist builds on my past achievements and passion for teaching. I was born and raised in a humble family in Kenya. In boarding school, I was shy, self-conscious, and became overwhelmed by the academic pressure. However, these challenges inspired independence and responsibility. My favorite subjects in high school were mathematics and sciences. In choosing to pursue a career in science, I draw inspiration from memories of my grandfather who used plant extract-based therapy to treat sheep suspected of having sustained snake bites. I obtained my Bachelors in Science (Bsc) in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Masters in Science Degree (MSc) in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, in 2011 and 2014 respectively from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Kenya. While studying, I conducted tutorial classes and practical sessions for undergraduate students. Through this experience, I developed a passion for teaching and upon graduation I worked as a teaching assistant. I started my PhD at Sokoine University of Agriculture in 2018.

The opportunity provided by RSIF to engage in the ‘sandwich’ program at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) has surpassed my initial expectations by enabling me to receive personalized advice that focuses on my needs and challenges. I am attached to a very vibrant group of aggressive scholars who are generous with sharing knowledge. This has been a plus point for the team since members are freely able to socialize and discuss about the PhD experiences, get help and advice that helps one improve in research and also make friends. The option of volunteering in the team’s projects has enabled me to challenge myself, a chance which has opened up in me qualities that I didn’t really know were there.My passion is in Biochemistry, Biotechnology and health.  Using a “bottom up” approach, I strive to understand useful compounds in natural products.  The recent technological advances have allowed smart cultivation of compound rich plants, their extraction, identification and evaluation in maintaining health of human, animals and plants. In combination I also use bioinformatics by integrating computers, software tools and databases in an effort to address biological questions.

My greatest challenges in this current period of my PhD collaboration in Korea is maintaining a healthy work–life balance by finding a routine that works best for me. In most instances I have had a lopsided schedule which has affected my social life. Occasionally, I have found myself with unfinished work as I try to run my objectives in parallel, however, through the supportive team of scholars, I have had the chance to navigate through.
The greatest discovery I have made so far is that success means more if I move out of my comfort zone and challenge myself in new things that allow me to grow. I am assured that this decision to take up the RSIF PhD research opportunity will one day prove to be one of the most important and rewarding things I ever did with my life. I thank the Government of Kenya, through PASET RSIF for supporting my studies.

PASET, which is an initiative of African Governments, with support from the Government of Korea and the World Bank, aims at strengthening the science and technology capability of sub-Saharan African countries for economic development. RSIF is PASET’s flagship initiative and the first Pan-African science fund of its kind. RSIF will train applied researchers (at least 40% women), in sciences and engineering, build research capacity in sub-Saharan African universities and conduct research for Africa’s development. This initiative is timely as Africa responds to challenges such as COVID-19. RSIF competitively provides PhD scholarships for 3-4 years training for citizens of sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries at Host Universities in Africa, and ‘sandwich’ training at selected International Partner Organizations.