Celebrating OWSD's recent PhD graduates
July 15, 2025
Six women scientists who were recipients of the OWSD PhD fellowship have graduated with their doctorates.
OWSD celebrates our PhD fellows who have recently graduated with their PhDs and are ready to embark on the next phase of their careers. These women leave their home countries to carry out either a full-time PhD programme or research visits at institutes abroad, often leaving behind family, friends, and jobs to pursue their passions. From a plant breeding scientist mapping resistance in corn to parasitic weeds in Benin, to a nursing scientist working to improve first-aid education among motorcyclists in Rwanda, to an energy scientist converting agricultural waste to biofuel in Ethiopia, they are already making big changes to a world that needs their vision, their ideas and their talent.
We congratulate the new Drs., and wish them luck with what comes next!
PhD Graduates
Nanou Emeline Dossa
2019 fellow
PhD awarded from: University of KwaZulu-Natal
Title of PhD: Genetic analysis of Striga resistance and yield-influencing traits in tropical and sub-tropical maize
Desta Mulu Gebeyehu
2020 fellow
PhD awarded from: Hawassa University
Title of PhD: Production and characterization of bioethanol, bioethanol gel, briquette and biofertilizer from selected agricultural wastes and water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)
Julienne Impundu
2015 fellow
PhD awarded from: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS)
Title of PhD: Studies on localized ferromagnetism in sp2 carbon nanomaterials
Bénéwindé Edwige Sawadogo Ouedraogo
2019 fellow
PhD awarded from: Université Joseph KI-ZERBO
Title of PhD: Experimental study and modeling of gas production by gasification of roasted and carbonized raw cashew shells
Christine Ufashingabire Minani
2017 fellow
PhD awarded from: Universiti Putra Malaysia
Title of PhD: Effectiveness of road traffic crash first-aid education on knowledge, attitude, and self-reported practice among commercial motorcyclists in Kigali-city, Rwanda
Loriane Jennifer Ayo Ola Yanclo
2019 fellow
PhD awarded from: Stellenbosch University
Title of PhD: Impact of low-pressure cold plasma treatment on postharvest quality attributes of fresh and dried mango fruit
