Dr. Justine Germo Nzweundji
CitizenshipCameroon
Alma materUniversity of Yaoundé I
Known forCultivation techniques for Prunus africana
AwardsL'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Fellowship
Scientific career
FieldsPlant biotechnology

Dr. Justine Germo Nzweundji is a plant biotechnologist from Cameroon. She is the president of the Cameroon Academy of Young Scientists,[1] and was a 2011 fellow of the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards.[2]

Education

Nzweundji received her doctorate from the University of Yaoundé. During her studies, she also conducted research at the University of Florida Tropical Research and Educational Center and at Alabama A&M University between 2011 and 2013.[3] Her work abroad from Cameroon was supported in part by a L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science fellowship.[4][5]

Nzweundji's doctoral thesis was on the topic on Prunus africana, a tree which is harvested for medicinal products made from its bark. In addition to its long history in traditional medicine, it may potentially be used as part of a treatment for prostate cancer. Nzweundji worked on developing a technique to harvest sustainably, providing long-term income for the local community while maintaining a healthy tree population.[3] Over-exploitation is a threat to the trees in the wild, so for large industrial projects Nzweundji has considered the use of in-vitro production to preserve as many live trees as possible.[2][6]

Career

In 2022 Nzweundji received the University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars (UMAPS) for a project on Science policy. Nzweundji 2018, accepted a postdoctoral fellowship to work at Hochschule Geisenheim University.[3] She currently works at the Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants Studies/Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation in Cameroon. She began working there during her studies and returned after research projects abroad. She continues to investigate Prunus africana.[7]

Nzweundji has participated in international science forums.[8] She is keen to engage and mentor other young scientists and took on the role of president for the Cameroon Academy of Young Scientists.[3] She organises public speaking events to foster science communication and outreach based on the "Three-minute thesis" format.[9]

Nzweundji is also sits on the steering committee for the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) Africa since 2016.[7][10] Nzweundji has collaborated with international researchers to discuss scholarly communication,[11] as well as inequities in research and how they are exacerbated by COVID-19.[12]

Awards and honours

References

  1. ↑ "Cameroon Academy of Young Scientists". Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  2. 1 2 3 Ntaryike, Divine Jr. (2011-04-07). "Cameroonian Bags L". Cameroon Post. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 NOAYE, Yvan. "Dr Justine Germo Nzweundji, la spécialiste en biologie végétale qui veut sauver la médecine traditionnelle dans le continent - Genie d'afrique" (in French). Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  4. ↑ "Outstanding women scientists to receive 2011 L'ORÉAL-UNESCO Awards (3 March) and Fellowships (2 March) | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  5. ↑ "Femmes et sciences: 20 chercheuses à l'honneur - Elle". elle.fr (in French). 9 March 2011. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  6. ↑ "L'OREAL−UNESCO International Fellows from Africa, 2010" (PDF). unesco.org. 2010. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
  7. 1 2 3 "Justine Germo NZWEUNDJI". Global Young Academy. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
  8. ↑ "Dr Nzweundji Germo". World Science Forum. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
  9. ↑ Nsangou N., Aïcha (2020-12-09). "Recherche scientifique: la contribution des jeunes chercheurs". www.cameroon-tribune.cm. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  10. ↑ "INGSA Africa". www.ingsa.org. 5 July 2016. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  11. ↑ "Altmetric at the University of Sussex – An interview with Sahar Abuelbasher". Altmetric. 2020-01-09. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  12. ↑ Lopez-Verges, Sandra; Urbani, Bernardo; Rivas, David Fernandez; Kaur-Ghumaan, Sandeep; Coussens, Anna; Moronta-Barrios, Felix; Bhattarai, Suraj; Niamir, Leila; Siciliano, Velia; Molnar, Andreea; Weltman, Amanda; Dhimal, Meghnath; Arya, Shalini S.; Cloete, Karen J.; Awan, Almas Taj; Sharma, Chandra Shekhar; Rojas, Clarissa Jazmin Rios; Shimpuku, Yoko; Ganle, John; Matin, Maryam M.; Germo, Nzweundji Justine; Badre, Abdeslam; Carmona-Mora, Paulina (2021). "Mitigating losses: How science diplomacy can address the impact of COVID-19 on early career researchers". osf.io. doi:10.31235/osf.io/f9tsw. S2CID 243680630. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  13. ↑ "Entretien avec Justine Germo Nzweundji, finaliste camerounaise des sélections nationales "Ma thèse en 180 secondes"". AUF (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2021-04-25.
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