The Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology recently hosted its first scholar cohort as part of the African Biodiversity Fellowship for Emerging Genomics Leaders program, organized in partnership with the African BioGenome Project. On December 9, 2024, the IGB celebrated the culmination of the scholars’ experiences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a closing reception, concluding their three-month international residency.

AfricaBP is a coordinated, pan-African effort to harness the power of genomics for the improvement and sustainable use of biodiversity across the African continent. The project was launched in 2021 to sequence the genomes of the 60,000 known plant species and 123,000 known animal species found in Africa, only a fraction of which have been sequenced. The AfricaBP Open Institute for Genomics and Bioinformatics was started in 2023 as a grassroots knowledge-sharing movement to provide critical workshops in molecular biology, genomics, and bioinformatics to scientists across Africa.

To further train Africa’s next generation of leaders in genomics and bioinformatics, the AfricaBP Open Institute partnered with IGB to start a comprehensive leadership program to train early and mid-career scientists. For the program’s first year, four scientists traveled across the world to Illinois to take part in the training program from September to December, after completing a month-long internship or residency at an African institution. The 2024 cohort included Victor Ezebuiro (Nigeria), Ichrak Hayah (Morocco), Tshepo Mafokwane (South Africa), and Shaimaa Reda (Egypt).

The international exchange at IGB was led by External Relations Coordinator Sarah Schwartz and Director of External Relations and Strategic Partnerships Tracy Parish. Each scholar worked within one of IGB’s research themes and was matched with a research group that fit their interests. Outside of research, the fellows attended workshops about mentorship, leadership, team science principles, media relations, outreach, and research communications.

“Our partnership with AfricaBP is designed to give early career scientists from across the African continent an opportunity to learn new skills, including team science best practices, and build their professional networks,” Schwartz said. “We have very much enjoyed hosting the first cohort of AfricaBP scholars. Their enthusiasm and dedication to their work and desire to absorb as much knowledge as possible to take back to their home institutions have been wonderful to see. We look forward to continuing and growing this partnership.”

At the closing lunch reception in December, IGB Director Gene Robinson recognized each scholar, and they also gave presentations discussing their research progress and takeaways from the program. Overall, the scholars agreed they gained valuable hands-on experiences in the lab and essential knowledge for real-world applications, which each can use to create a ripple effect of growth at their home institutions. They also emphasized that they learned the value of team science and are prepared to lead by example through inspiring teams, building trust, and working together towards shared goals.

Read about the 2024 cohort’s experiences below and learn more about AfricaBP by visiting https://africanbiogenome.org/.
 

Reflections from the 2024 Scholars

Victor Ezebuiro, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria
CABBI / Huimin Zhao

“When this opportunity came up, it was something I quickly jumped into because I thought we needed to move forward by reaching new people to collaborate with and learning additional skills to add to what we are currently doing. 

I really didn’t imagine the scope of the facilities, expertise, and resources that were going to be available at Illinois. One of the things that struck me was the efficiency at which my mentor Huimin Zhao organizes his large number of graduate students. Seeing how he was able to coordinate everything was something that I really took away from this. I feel that that level of efficiency can enhance research output, and it's been an amazing journey.”

Ichrak Hayah, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco
CGD / Xing Wang

“When I saw the announcement about this fellowship, it felt like the next logical step to take. I have a biostatistics, genomics, and bioinformatics background, so I came to Illinois especially to learn wet lab work and also to collaborate with new people. 

We were really welcomed by Sarah and Tracy, and the experience could not be easier. Tshepo and I worked with Professor Xing Wang, and it was a really welcoming and caring experience. I learned about the relationships professors keep with students and how they interact in the lab meetings. I think that this human element is something we can take back to Africa and cultivate more in the future.”

Tshepo Mafokwane, University of South Africa
CGD / Xing Wang

“I got intrigued when they said to me that we were going to be trained in an African institution for a month and then spend three months internationally in America. It was good to learn something new that I can bring back and translate to the African perspective.

In Xing Wang’s lab, we went to the lab every day and saw everyone’s work ethic and also the style of laboratory meetings. When we look at the entirety of the program, we also have these new sessions for learning team science, where I've never felt so free to speak. So, I think a main takeaway for me would be how I'm very free to now speak, have my own voice, and be heard.”

Shaimaa Reda, Nile University, Egypt
GEGC / Laurie Leonelli

“I work as an instructor at a university, so I am always working with and teaching students. So, a big motivation for me to do this program is to transfer new science, knowledge, and whatever I have learned to my students.

The experience here has been really wonderful in terms of the science in the lab, organization, administrative things, and team science trainings. When I first contacted my mentor here, Laurie Leonelli, she was so enthusiastic about the project. I have really appreciated and will miss the clear communication and nice friendly atmosphere. So, something I take away from the team science trainings is that it's very good to build these human connections while doing science."