As part of the EPFL–UM6P’s Excellence in Africa initiative, the EXAF centre has announced the names of the six successful teams which will take part in the Junior Faculty Development programme (JFD).
JFD fosters collaborations between Africa-based young professors and EPFL professors on projects addressing African and global challenges. The six research projects will develop and deploy innovative solutions to respond to key priorities in areas such as clean and sustainable energy, global warming, resource efficiency, as well as health and neuroscience. The grants will also support breakthrough science that use the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning and information technology for several applications, such as smart farming and robotics to address critical gaps.
The programme will provide funding for research projects over a period of 4 to 5 years. As part of the programme, the Africa-based professors will complete a secondment of up to one year in the laboratory of their colleagues at EPFL.
The six teams were selected amongst 16 shortlisted applications of the second phase of the call for proposals. They were evaluated by external independent experts and by a joint EPFL-UM6P Scientific Committee.
Overview of the six successful research projects
- Parkinson’s disease & Drug discovery in Tunisa by Prof. Ines El Bini from Institut Pasteur de Tunis and Prof. Hilal Lashuel from EPFL
- Internet of Things in Morocco by Prof. El Mehdi Amhoud from the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and Prof. Andreas Burg from EPFL
- Solar Cells in Nigeria by Prof. Sabastine Ezugwu from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) and Prof. Anna Fontcuberta & Prof. Francesco Stellacci from EPFL
- Green energy in Rwanda by Prof. Steve Ndengué from the East African Institute for Fundamental Research / University of Rwanda Kigali and Prof. Nicola Marzari from EPFL
- Metal-organic framework in Morocco by Prof. Samir El Hankari from the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and Prof. Wendy Queen from EPFL
- Biodiesel in Tanzania by Prof. Thomas Kivevele from the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology – NM-AIST – and Prof. Jeremy Luterbacher from EPFL
Read the complete news, click here