Research stays in Germany as a booster for an academic career

A young chemist talks to her colleague in the laboratory — © GettyImages/Portra

Round-Up Talk: Five Alumni, Five Questions

In this multi-part interview, five international alumni talk about how they experienced their research stays in Germany and the German research landscape. They also talk about how their scientific careers developed after their stays in Germany. In addition, a career coach talks about her experiences with scientific coachees and gives tips for planning scientific career paths. Every week we publish a new question with the answers of the five research alumni.

The alumni

Olufemi Ernest OJO wears traditional clothes and looks at camera — © private © private

Professor Olufemi Ernest Ojo

Olufemi Ernest Ojo teaches and conducts research at the Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria. He is also the Director of Veterinary Teaching Hospital at the University. He has about 20 years’ experience investigating the molecular mechanisms of acquired antimicrobial resistance and virulence characteristics of bacteria within the 'One Health' context. He is actively involved in the surveillance and monitoring of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in humans, animals (including wildlife), food and the environment. He also examines the various sociocultural practices relating to antimicrobial usage that influence the emergence, dissemination and persistence of resistant bacteria among different hosts and in the environment. He has won several local and international awards and has published over 70 scientific articles in reputable peer-reviewed journals. He is an alumnus of and the .

To Olufemi Ernest Ojos community profile Olufemi Ernest Ojo on Google Scholar

Rasha Sayed Hanafi smiles at the camera. She wears bright clothes, a headscarf and sits in a garden. — © private © private

Professor Rasha Hanafi

Rasha Hanafi is Professor of Pharmaceutical Analysis and Vice Dean of Student Affairs at the faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology of the . She is an Humboldt alumna to the , Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences Pharmaceutical (Bio-) Analysis and member of the Research Alumni Network of the University of Tübingen. She is a scientific consultant and free-lance trainer for the industry and academia in the field of analytical method development, Quality Control and Assurance. She supervised more than 30 masters and PhD national and international students, has been an external examiner for postgraduate students from Egyptian Universities. She has more than 40 publications in peer reviewed international journals and 20 conference abstracts and oral presentations. In addition, she is reviewer and editor of Scopus indexed international peer reviewed journals in the field of Pharmaceutical and Bio-Analysis. Rasha Hanafi’s main research field is Pharmaceutical and Biomedical analysis including Biomarker Discovery, and Quality by Design in analytical methods. Her research group includes activities related to Design-of-Experiments in chiral separations, in-vivo kinetic studies, discovery of novel human biomarkers via metabolomics and novel compounds from phytochemical origin with promising pharmacological actions. Her research collaboration in Germany includes University of Tübingen, and She masters five languages (French, English, Spanish, German and Arabic as mother tongue).

To Rasha Hanafi's community profile Rasha Sayed Hanafi on Google Scholar

Patrick Opoku

Patrick Opoku is a Lecturer at the Department of Forest Resources Technology of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi. He is a graduate of KNUST and the Technical University of Dresden, Germany. His teaching focuses on courses addressing issues of forest science; climate change and natural resource management. He has over twelve years work experience in Ghana and abroad and has worked for several organizations including the Dutch Organization for Development Cooperation (Tropenbos International), the and the in Germany. He is a recipient of several scholarships and awards including the , and the Scholarship. He is a member of the Ghana Science Association and a Fellow of the Ghana Institute of Foresters.

To Patrick Opoku's community profile Patrick Opoku on ResearchGate

Round-Up Talk: Five Alumni, Five Questions

The alumni

The career coach